Facing media scrutiny after the high-profile kidnapping of his wealthy son, a man in southern China has denied sole responsibility for handing over massive sums of a Taoist group’s money to a swindler in 2016, The Beijing News reported Tuesday.

Lu Wenrong, president of the Hainan Taoist Association, told the outlet that the decision to transfer 2.5 million yuan ($376,000 in 2016) to a scammer from bank accounts affiliated with the association was not made by him alone but by the association at large. However, Lu admitted to handing over 100,000 yuan of his own money to the now-convicted grifter, who had reportedly promised to make financial donations to the association in the future if she were given funds to help her through hard times.

The con was widely reported Monday despite occurring years ago, as domestic news outlets have been investigating Lu — and his finances — since his son was abducted for a ransom in Toronto in March. The younger Lu, who was found alive shortly after his capture, has since faced media attention of his own for his affluent lifestyle. (Image: @头条新闻 on Weibo)