"Master of Mount Jiuhua" Scams 36 Women, Convincing Them to Send Money for "Disaster Relief," Amassing Over 800,000 Yuan. Sentenced to 18 Years for Rape and Fraud.
A farmer impersonated the "Master of Mount Jiuhua," scamming women by claiming he could remove misfortune through fortune-telling. He also posed as a celibate man to trick female victims into having sex with him under the guise of “spiritual practice.” Over seven years, Zu Fuyou scammed over 800,000 yuan from 36 women using this scheme. Several of these women engaged in sexual relations with him after believing his lies. Strikingly, not a single victim reported the crime before his arrest.
The reporter learned that Zu Fuyou was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Dongcheng District Court for both rape and fraud.
Incident Triggered by a Suspicious Woman on the Street Leading to an Arrest in a Hotel
On the night of November 13, 2010, at 11 PM, a young woman walked out of a hotel near Guangqumen in Dongcheng District. Officers from the Donghua Police Station patrolling the area noticed her suspicious behavior. When questioned, the young woman appeared extremely uneasy, claiming she had just been chatting with her master in the hotel. Based on the information provided by the woman, the police arrested a Zu-surnamed man inside the hotel.
Zu Fuyou claimed he had engaged in prostitution with the woman, but this was denied by the victim, Guo Mou. After investigation, the police found that Zu Fuyou was not only involved in fraud but also in raping Guo Mou.
Meeting the "Abbot" - Women Paying to "Change Their Fortune"
Guo Mou is in her twenties, an out-of-town migrant worker in Beijing.
She recalled meeting a middle-aged woman on the street who claimed to read fortunes and warned her of impending disaster. Extremely worried, Guo Mou listened intently as the woman introduced her to a "master" from Mount Jiuhua who could help "change her fortune."
Later, Guo Mou received a call from someone claiming to be the "Abbot of Mount Jiuhua." The caller stated that if she truly wanted to change her fortune, she needed to pay for rituals. The abbot offered different price tiers: 1999 yuan, 2999 yuan, etc.
In her desperation to ward off misfortune, Guo Mou transferred 2000 yuan twice to the bank account provided by the "abbot," which purportedly belonged to the "Mount Jiuhua Finance Office."
Following the Master's Instructions – Sexual Relations Occur in the Hotel
Months later, the "Abbot of Mount Jiuhua" called Guo Mou again, stating she still faced misfortune and required spiritual practice with a celibate man. He introduced his disciple, "Shi Guoyin," as a celibate man currently residing in Beijing.
Following the master’s instructions, Guo Mou contacted "Shi Guoyin" and met him at a chain hotel on the evening of November 13. In the hotel room, "Shi Guoyin" claimed to be her "husband from a past life" and insisted they must practice together to resolve her misfortunes. Under deception and coercion, Guo Mou had no choice but to have sexual relations with him.
Investigation – The "Abbot" and "Disciple" Are One Person; Accomplice Still at Large
Police investigations revealed that "Shi Guoyin" and the "Abbot of Mount Jiuhua" were both played by Zu Fuyou, a 45-year-old farmer with only a junior high school education. Zu mimicked an elderly voice over the phone to deceive his victims. The middle-aged woman who approached Guo Mou on the street turned out to be his accomplice, nicknamed "Third Sister."
Zu Fuyou confessed that he has a wife and children and began this fraudulent operation in 2003 after being inspired by a fellow villager. His method involved finding accomplices to approach women on the street, warning them of impending disasters and recommending the "Master of Mount Jiuhua" to help eliminate misfortunes. Using feedback from his accomplices about potential victims, he would further deceive them, convincing them to send money to his designated accounts.
In this case, the female accomplice "Third Sister" played a crucial role, identifying targets on the street and initiating conversations. At the time of Zu Fuyou's arrest, "Third Sister" was still at large.
Scamming Across Regions – Accumulated Over 800,000 Yuan
After the incident, the police discovered more than 100 text messages on Zu Fuyou's phone, all containing content designed to deceive victims into transferring money for disaster relief.
It was determined that from July 2003 to November 2010, Zu Fuyou, under the alias "Shi Guoyin," impersonated the "Master of Mount Jiuhua" in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Nantong, Jiangsu Province. He claimed he could eliminate misfortunes through fortune-telling, burning incense, and conducting rituals. During this period, he raped four victims and defrauded a total of 36 people out of over 800,000 yuan.
It is understood that the number of women who were raped is higher than those officially documented, as many victims avoided discussing the matter due to concerns about their reputation.
No Victim Reported Before the Case Was Uncovered
The prosecutor handling the case told reporters that the victims came from more than ten provinces and municipalities, including local women from Beijing. Among the victims, the oldest was 59 years old, and the youngest was 23. The largest amount defrauded was over 70,000 yuan, while the smallest was nearly 1000 yuan.
Most of the victims had relatively low educational backgrounds, some graduating from vocational schools. Additionally, most victims believed in the concept of eliminating misfortunes through karmic causes, making them easy targets for the "Master of Mount Jiuhua." Some victims were already Buddhists.
It was learned that some of the deceived women were unmarried youths. After realizing they had been scammed, none of them wished to inform their families. By the time the case was uncovered, not a single victim had reported the incident to the police.
Verdict – Sentenced to 18 Years for Two Crimes
The court ruled that Zu Fuyou violated women's wills, using superstition to rape multiple women, infringing upon women's personal rights, thus constituting the crime of rape. Furthermore, with the intent of illegal possession, he used superstition to defraud others of their money in especially large amounts, infringing upon citizens' property rights, thus constituting the crime of fraud.
The court sentenced Zu Fuyou to 11 years in prison for rape, depriving him of political rights for two years; and 11 years in prison for fraud, with a fine of 22,000 yuan. The sentences were combined, resulting in an 18-year prison term, a fine of 22,000 yuan, and deprivation of political rights for two years.
After the verdict was announced, Zu Fuyou appealed, accepting the charge of fraud but arguing that the women voluntarily engaged with him, thus not constituting rape.