Sydney, June 29(ANI): A former Chinese footballer's wife, who presented herself as a princeling, has been accused of swindling Olympic champions and celebrities out of about 6 million pounds, and has gone on trial for fraud in China.

Wang Ti, a former footballer's wife who posed as the daughter of a retired senior Communist Party official, is accused of cheating about 60 million Yuan out of her victims between 2008 and 2011 through fake deals for up market apartments and cars.

China's princelings, the offspring of prominent and revered members of the Communist Party, often enjoy considerable influence because of their blood-ties to power.

Prosecutors say Wang, who was born in Dalian and is thought to have studied in Ireland, faked connections to the higher echelons of the Communist Party in order to fool a succession of athletes and artists into handing over large sums of cash.

They also claim Wang rented several luxury apartments in Beijing and convinced potential buyers, including sports starts, a film director and a television actress, that she was either the owner or could secure them a cut-price deal.

Wang is the ex-wife of a former player from Dalian Shide, one of China's top football clubs, then asked for deposits towards the purchase of the properties.

Her alleged clients included Yang Wei, the world-champion gymnast, Luo Xuejuan, who won the gold medal for breaststroke at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and Zou Kai, a gymnast who will appear at the London Olympics next month.

She [Wang Ti] pretended to be the daughter of high-level officials and told the athletes that she could use her status to buy low-priced property, The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Tang Junfen, a lawyer representing three of the 27 alleged victims, as telling to the court.

But in fact Wang's cheap properties were all rental apartments, the lawyer added. (ANI)