Saturday, 4 July 2015

Guo Meimei (郭美美) - The Fallen Internet Star




Guo Meimei (郭美美), the 23-year-old woman whose online posts unfairly tarnished the reputation of the Red Cross Society of China four years ago, has been charged with operating a gambling house.

"We have solid evidence to prove Guo and her friend, Zhao Xiaolai, organised others to engage in gambling on many occasions," said a statement by Dongcheng district people's procuratorate. "The circumstances were so serious that the suspects should be held accountable."

Guo Meimei (郭美美) made waves online when a scandal erupted in Chinese internet media on 21 June 2011. She forged her identity on Sina Weibo by proclaiming herself as a manager for the Red Cross Society of China. 

She shared pictures of a lavish lifestyle driving Mercedes and owning a big mansion. These pictures drew skepticism from people who questioned if her wealth came from the Red Cross Society of China at all. If indeed she get rich from the Red Cross Society of China, then whether the charity organization had misused its donation from the public. Due to her identity forgery, the Red Cross Society of China suffered a dramatic drop in donations from the public and the organisation issued a statement distancing itself from Guo Meimei (郭美美), stating that there was no relationship between the two. It turned out that Guo Meimei's (郭美美) wealth came from a married Shenzhen businessman named Wang Jun, who at that time ran a business that was a recognized fundraising partner of the Red Cross Society of China.



No comments:

Post a Comment