\n<\/p>\n
Born in 1981, Wang grew up in Anxi, one of Fujian province\u2019s poorest counties then. Even there, his family stood out for their abject situation.<\/p>\n
Neighbours recalled them living in a mud-walled shack and his parents scraping a living by selling rice. Relatives sometimes brought them food out of pity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were extremely impoverished,\u201d said a villager identified only as Li. \u201cEveryone felt sorry for his poor family.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Anxi\u2019s tea industry boomed in the 1990s, Wang allegedly cashed in by swindling buyers of tea-processing equipment. \u201cOnce you transfer the payment, (Wang) will block your number,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n
By the early 2000s, Wang had become a bookmaker in Xiamen, running illegal betting pools based on Hong Kong\u2019s Mark Six lottery.<\/p>\n
While Mark Six was legal in Hong Kong, mainland bookies had no connection to the lottery\u2019s operator, the Hong Kong Jockey Club. They simply used its winning numbers, said Wu Qingshu, an associate professor at Huaqiao University\u2019s law school.<\/p>\n
Another of Wang\u2019s former neighbours, \u201cZheng\u201d, recalled: \u201cIn one night, bets could reach several hundred million yuan.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the 2010s, Wang was running a loan guarantee company in Xiamen, which operated like an unlicensed moneylender charging high interest. But his fortunes took a hit, according to Zheng, when a borrower vanished with more than 20 million yuan (US$3 million).<\/p>\n
Chinese authorities were also stepping up raids on underground gambling operations. Disillusioned and fearing arrest, Wang abandoned the business and looked overseas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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