Guo Meimei stands trial at Beijing Dongcheng District People’s Court on Thursday. The 24-year-old woman, whose online posts tarnished the reputation of the Red Cross Society of China four years ago, was sentenced to five years in jail for running gambling activities. The court said Guo ran casino operations out of private apartments in Beijing with bets totaling nearly 3 million yuan (US$500,000). The Chinese Internet celebrity became notorious in 2011 when she claimed on social media that she was operating an organization under the auspices of the Red Cross and publicly flaunted her luxury possessions such as Hermes handbags and Lamborghini sports cars. Although Guo later retracted her Red Cross connections, the incident raised doubts over the charity’s credibility. China News Service