China: man posing as a reincarnated lama convicted of raping and defrauding followers

Proceedings

1. 2021-01-01 · conviction; upheld at second instance

   Chinese court, Guangdong (court not named in available reporting); second-instance trial completed. Yang Hongchen, who posed as the reincarnation of a respected monk using fabricated ties to a Hebei temple, was convicted of using superstition to undermine law enforcement, fraud, rape and embezzlement — raping multiple female followers, one of whom became pregnant, and defrauding believers — and sentenced to eighteen years plus a 150,000 yuan fine. He pleaded not guilty at both instances; the second-instance trial concluded by early 2021, making the conviction final.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• fabricated tulku status commanding disciples' obedience
• claimed spiritual credentials used to extract money and sexual access