Earthquake hero suspected of defrauding

A heroic figure during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in Southwest China, is now facing criminal charges of defrauding 21 people out of 463,000 yuan (about $75,700), the Chengdu Economic Daily reports.

22-year-old Lei Chunian shot to fame after he risked his life and ran into a teaching building to rescue seven fellow students when an 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan in Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, leaving over 69,000 people dead.

Prosecutors in Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, are taking legal action against Lei, charging him with fraud and forgery.

Lei may face at least 10 years in prison considering the amount of money he has swindled, according to prosecutors.

The newspaper said Lei had allegedly exploited his reputation as an earthquake hero and collected money from people who asked him for favours, even though he was unable to deliver on his promises.

His ex-girlfriend, identified as Ms. Hao, alleged that in early 2013, Lei promised to find her a job as a flight attendant if she would pay him 100,000 yuan. She claimed that Lei stopped communicating with her as soon as she paid the sum.

Lei had also allegedly misled several people into believing that he had close connections with top officials in the local Education Bureau and could help their children enter elite schools in Chengdu.

But later, he forged official stamps of the Education Bureau and issued fake notices to those victims, through which he pocketed 175,000 yuan.

In August 2013, Lei coughed up 138,000 yuan from 10 people who wanted to obtain driving licenses without following formal procedures.

Lei was arrested in June this year, when he went to a police station in Shenzhen to report that his wallet had been stolen.