BEIJING — A joint task force between the U.S. and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security has shut down the Sunshine Entertainment Alliance, a network of membership websites that’s being called the world’s largest Chinese-language porn operation.
A Ministry statement yesterday said the Alliance’s mastermind Wang Yong, was arrested by the FBI in the U.S. on June 23.
According to reports, Yong controlled an empire of 10 million members and 48 sites, 18 of which the Ministry said included child porn.
He fled China from Fujian province in January 2002 and has allegedly been running the network from afar since 2007.
The operation's servers were reportedly in the U.S., which stymied Chinese authorities from shutting them down.
Chinese police also arrested more than 10 other people suspected of being key operators who were maintaining the sites.
The joint action began in April 2010 and was the first time the FBI and Chinese authorities began working together to crack down on illegal porn.
Producing, copying, publishing, selling or distributing porn is illegal in China and if convicted, the individuals could face 10 years to life in prison.