Shanghai couple sentenced for extortion after planting glass in food

A couple in Shanghai have been sentenced to jailtime and fined for repeatedly extorting money from restaurant owners by planting glass fragments in their food.

The two defendants, surnamed Chen and Jiang, were convicted of extortion and blackmail by the Jing'an District People's Court in Shanghai.

According to Jiang's confession, she would prepare glass particles in advance and pretend to eat them from the plates. Chen would then negotiate with the restaurant owners, demanding compensation. They often demanded five or even 10 times the cost of the meal. If the owners refused to pay, they would threaten to file complaints with relevant authorities. To avoid trouble, the restaurant owners often chose to reach a deal in private.

The court found that Chen and Jiang had extorted nine restaurants, with the total amount involved exceeding 9,000 yuan ($1,230).

Chen initially denied any involvement in the scheme, but the court rejected his claim after reviewing surveillance footage of their first offense in which Chen reacted calmly and seemingly indifferent to Jiang's injury when she consumed the glass shards. Instead of showing any surprises, he immediately took out his phone to take pictures. The court found that such abnormal behavior further confirmed Jiang's statement that they premeditated the acts together.

Jiang confessed to their wrongdoing and returned their illicit gains, demonstrating remorse. Therefore, the court imposed a lenient punishment on her.

Chen was sentenced to one year in prison and fined, while Jiang received a 10-month prison sentence with one year probation and a fine.