A student in Nanjing, identified as Chen, has received a lengthy prison sentence after defrauding 21 individuals out of a total of 960,000 yuan (approximately $133,000 USD) under the guise of sourcing “second-hand anime merchandise.” The Nanjing Xuanwu District People’s Court delivered the verdict, citing the particularly large sum involved as justification for a severe penalty.
Chen, a student at an unspecified Nanjing-based school, operated the scheme between November 2024 and March 2025. Authorities determined the fraud involved falsely representing the availability of rare anime collectibles, accepting payments from buyers and then failing to deliver the promised goods. The case highlights a growing trend of online scams targeting fans of Japanese anime and related merchandise.
Details released by the court indicate the scale of the operation warranted the “particularly large amount” designation, triggering a harsher sentencing guideline under Chinese law. The specific length of Chen’s sentence has not been publicly disclosed, but court officials confirmed it was a substantial term of imprisonment.
The Xuanwu District People’s Procuratorate initiated the investigation, leading to Chen’s arrest and subsequent prosecution. The case was heard at the Xuanwu District People’s Court, which has jurisdiction over the area where the fraud occurred.
In a separate case from 2016, Nanjing authorities apprehended a man known locally as the “Bird King,” Sun, for illegally hunting over 200 wild birds. Sun, along with an accomplice, Chen (a different individual than the current case), were accused of profiting from the illegal capture and sale of wildlife. Even as the accomplice Chen was not prosecuted, Sun was formally arrested. This earlier case demonstrates the Xuanwu District’s focus on prosecuting environmental and economic crimes.
In 2020, the Xuanwu District People’s Procuratorate also approved the arrest of another individual, Chen, on suspicion of fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This earlier case involved alleged fraudulent activity during the height of the pandemic, demonstrating the office’s responsiveness to emerging criminal activity.
As of today, no further details regarding potential appeals or asset recovery efforts in the anime merchandise fraud case have been released by the Nanjing Xuanwu District People’s Court.
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