A Beijing actor has been sentenced to four years in prison for selling fake PCR test results, state media reported on Friday.
The actor, surnamed Zhao, was detained in April after police found evidence he had been selling the fake results online. He was charged with counterfeiting official documents, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
During his trial, Zhao admitted to selling the fake results, which he obtained from an online source. He told the court that he had sold nearly 3,000 fake results, making a profit of over 100,000 yuan (US$15,000).
The court heard that Zhao had been selling the fake results for several months, and that he had targeted people who were trying to avoid having to take a PCR test. Some of his customers were people who were trying to travel or attend events that required a negative PCR test result.
Zhao’s case is the latest in a series of arrests related to the sale of fake PCR test results in China. In March, police in the eastern city of Hangzhou arrested a group of people who were selling fake results online. The group had sold over 5,000 fake results, making a profit of over 500,000 yuan.
The sale of fake PCR test results is a serious crime, as it can lead to the spread of COVID-19. The Chinese government has taken a number of steps to crack down on the sale of fake results, including increasing the penalties for those who are convicted of the crime.
In addition to the prison sentence, Zhao was also fined 100,000 yuan..
