China apprehends suspected paid protest organizers

Then the job shifted to social media celebrities and petitioners. Wu Gan, known for "boldly" stirring controversial incidents, posted messages on his social media account, offering 100,000 yuan (16,106 U.S. dollars) for any video clips that have caught the "truth" of the incident.

Zhai then hired "petitioners" to shout slogans, sit quietly and raise defiant signs to support the lawyers. According to one suspect surnamed Li, she was paid 600 yuan for carrying a sign onsite.

There are others responsible for filming scenes of "mass incidents" and posting them on some overseas websites to manipulate public opinion.

"They have been following the protocol in hyping up such incidents since 2013, when I first entered the business," said Zhai, adding many of his peers were resentful of the Party and the government, taking pride in being detained by the police.

By turning common matters into hot issues and controversial incidents into political ones and rallying the public, the suspects have taken what they each needed.

According to the statement, Zhou Shifeng, director of Fengrui Law Firm, elevated the firm's popularity while the lawyers earned more commission fees. Internet celebrities such as Wu made more money. The petitioners got more attention from the government officials on their cases, sometimes securing better favorable public opinions.

The suspects, Zhai, Wu, Huang Liqun and Liu Xing have reflected on their alleged crimes and realized their harmful impact, said the statement.

According to the police, Zhou and his fellows at the firm Liu Sixin, Huang, Wang Yu, Wang Quanzhang have been detained. Zhou is suspected of being involved with other felonies pending investigation.