New | Accused social media scandal monger Yang Xiuyu jailed for four years by Beijing court

The founder of a Beijing public relations company which allegedly orchestrated some of China’s biggest internet scandals has been sentenced to four years in prison for “operating an illegal business”.

Yang Xiuyu, 41, had “hyped” scandals that have dominated Chinese public debate in recent years and profited from the celebrity of the starlets he created in his social media campaigns, a court in the capital said.

Among those online stars is Guo Meimei, 23, who caused an outcry in 2011 by flaunting her wealth and claiming to work for the Chinese Red Cross. The charity’s income from donations plummeted in the aftermath of the scandal. Guo was detained in June for illegal bookmaking and has since been formally arrested.

Another of Yang’s purported starlets is Gan Lulu, according to court documents, a car show model known nationwide for her appearances in risqué clothing.

In a last media campaign prior to his detention last year, Yang questioned the frugality of Lei Feng, a Cultural Revolution-era model worker.

Yang spotted the possibility of profiting from China’s social media boom as early as 2008, before the advent of microblogs, the court said.

Yang operated through two Beijing companies, Erma Tianxian and Erma Interactive Marketing and Planning, the court said.