Dissatisfied with his vocational college’s slow Internet and the campus night-time disconnection of the network, one student, Yan Xindi, decided he had had enough and purchased a broadband account on Chinese major online shopping platform, Taobao. He then sold the broadband to other students on campus, earning him more than ￥2,000.
His entrepreneurial spirit was soon crushed, however, as it was revealed that his actions were criminal and he was to be charged. As reported by Pengpai News the student has now been studying and living as a “criminal suspect” for the past 4 years, as a result of the broadband incident.
Over the years, he has insisted that at the time he knew not that his actions were criminal, however, in July, 2018 he was convicted of, “concealing the proceeds of crime”, and has been fined ￥10,000, by Nanjing Xuanwu District Count.
Predictably, the student is appealing his conviction and has taken his case to the Nanjing Intermediate Court. The case was reopened on 18 September 2018, and is ongoing.
“Last year I almost thought that I would be sentenced to death, and thought that my diploma cannot be obtained because of it. [And] it is said that this crime can [carry] a maximum sentence of seven years”, Yan told reporters.
Yan’s main concern is that his criminal record will prohibit him from getting a good job in the future, all the while insisting he is not guilty of any crime. He notes that there are many online Taobao broadband sellers, and there are many people who buy them. “I can’t figure out where I am wrong”, he insists.
The court revealed that the main problem lies in the fact that when purchasing the broadband account, Yan had not used any ID, and that the account he was using had already been used and was still owing money. The court held that the student should have known that to acquire a broadband account in this way is a crime.
