(XINHUA)

Yang Xiuyu, a rumormonger with an online screen name of "Lierchaisi" and Manager of Beijing Erma Co., an interactive marketing firm, was sentenced to four years in prison for illegal business practices on November 18 in Beijing. One of Yang's employees, Lu Mei, was sentenced to one and half years in prison that day.

Yang was born in 1973 in northeast China's Jilin Province. He founded Erma in 2006. Between 2008 and 2013, one arm of Erma made more than 530,000 yuan ($85,000) by posting false information and deleting posts critical of their clients. Another made 220,000 yuan ($36,500) between May 2012 and 2013 by deleting negative information concerning others. Many of Erma's fakeries have caused uproar and discord on the Web.

Neither Yang nor Lu will appeal their verdicts. Yang said in court he hopes everyone can learn a lesson from his crimes.