Bling Empire star Kelly Mi Li’s CEO ex-husband was arrested for ‘stealing $50 MILLION from cell phone customers’
BLING Empire star Kelly Mi Li’s ex-husband Lin Miao was arrested for “stealing $50 million from mobile phone customers.”
On Netflix’s Bling Empire, Kelly, 35, revealed her ex-husband was arrested for “running one of the largest cyber scams in American history.”
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In court documents exclusively obtained by The Sun, Lin, 34, along with other Defendants “participated in a scheme to defraud wireless cellular telephone customers by charging customers for premium text message subscription services without their authorization, and in doing so caused wires to be sent in interstate commerce.”
The “multi-million dollar scheme” allegedly defrauded customers by “placing unauthorized charges on consumers’ cellular phone bills, through a practice known as ‘auto-subscribing.'”
Lin, who was the founder, president and CEO of the Texting Company, allegedly took steps to conceal the fraud scheme by making it appear as if customers “opted-in to the Premium SMS services,” as users received messages from horoscopes to celebrity gossip.
Consumers were charged $9.99 per month that appeared on bills in an “abbreviated and confusing form.”
The parties generated “tens of millions of dollars,” some of which were used to “fund a lavish lifestyle of expensive parties, travel and gambling.”
Co-conspirator CW-1, who was not named as a Defendant, was Director of Global Sales at The Texting Company.
The co-conspirator claimed Lin “spent freely on travel, parties and expensive accommodations.”
In late 2011 or early 2012, he observed Lin spend $15,000 per night on a hotel room.
In a recorded call with another defendant, CW-1 said of Kelly: “Miao’s wife had to know what was going on because there was so much money coming in from Miao, and she was not dumb.”
Kelly was never charged. Lin and the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The fraud committed resulted in the theft of over $50 million from customers in the United States.
Lin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport.
He pled guilty to participating in the fraud.
Lin ended up cooperating with authorities and received supervised release.
Kelly filed for divorce from Lin in November 2014, according to Los Angeles courts.
Their divorce was finalized in May 2015.
On Bling Empire, Kelly revealed she lived a “very privileged and outrageous lifestyle” that included “seven cars and four houses” during their marriage.
She said on the show: “I think at the time we were spending $400,000 a month on Amex until one day the government showed up and took everything from us. My ex-husband was arrested.
“I didn’t know at the time, but he was running one of the largest cyber scams in American history. All of our assets were frozen... I didn’t even know who I was sleeping next to!
“After losing everything, I became an entrepreneur. I want to feel like me again, I want to take my power back."
Kelly is now dating actor Andrew Gray, who appeared in Power Rangers Megaforce.
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She said on the show: “I only want to date for love now. I want to date a guy who truly loves me for me. I don’t have any other intentions.”
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But Kelly’s relationship has caused controversy, as he was filmed on the premiere episode screaming at her because she left their hotel room while he was sleeping.
Fans have ripped Andrew for his "toxic" and “abusive behavior."