1990年6月，孫宏斌因涉嫌挪用公款罪俾北京海淀警方執行逮捕。1992年8月22號，因挪用公款13萬元被判處有期徒刑5年。1994年初，北京市中院裁定減刑1年2個月，1994年3月27號刑滿釋放。2003年2月19號，佢向北京海淀區法院提出申訴，要求取消原判決，改判無罪。2003年10月22號，海淀區法院撤消1992年8月嘅判決，改判佢無罪。
In June 1990, Sun Hongbin was arrested by the Haidian police on suspicion of embezzlement. On August 22, 1992, he was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement of 130,000 yuan of public funds. In early 1994, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court commuted his sentence by one year and two months, and he was released on March 27, 1994. On 19 February 2003, he filed a complaint with the Haidian District Court in Beijing, requesting that the original verdict be annulled and that the verdict be changed to not guilty. On 22 October 2003, the Haidian District Court quashed the August 1992 verdict and acquitted him.