Thief Steals $2M, Gives a Third Away

'I don't regret having done this'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2017 10:30 AM CDT
Thief Steals $2M, Gives a Third Away
He's been sentenced to 15 years in prison.   (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

A Chinese man stole almost $2 million, then spent more than a quarter of that amount on tips for female hosts of livestreaming websites. The 21-year-old online software vendor from Guizhou province—identified only by his last name, Hu—stole $1.9 million from video website Youku Tudou after he discovered a vulnerability in the site's payment system that allowed him to make more than 100,000 fraudulent refunds between November 2015 and April 2016, reports the South China Morning Post.

He paid off some of his father's debts, dedicated cash to his own entertainment, and saved about $440,000, reports the Post. The remainder, however—some $586,000—went to more than 40 female hosts on livestreaming websites in the form of gratuities. "Although I'm sorry to Youku, I don't regret having done this," Hu told a court in Beijing after pleading guilty to theft, per Time. "I've learned a lot, which I feel is worthwhile. I now also look at society differently." He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (More theft stories.)

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