Chinese former mining tycoon sentenced to death in gang crackdown

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FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2011 file photo, Liu Han, a former multimillionaire chairman of energy conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group with stakes in Australian and U.S. miners, is seen in Chengdu, in southwestern China\'s Sichuan province. The former Chinese mining tycoon was sentenced to death Friday, May 23, 2014, for leading a crime gang that killed rivals, a state news agency reported, in a case that revealed ties between organized crime and politicians. (AP Photo, File) CHINA OUT

BEIJING, China – An official Chinese news agency says a former mining tycoon and his brother have been sentenced to death for leading a crime gang.

The Xinhua News Agency says the sentences for Liu Han and his brother were handed down Friday in the first trials of the 36-member gang. Liu Han is the former chairman of energy conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group in the southwestern province of Sichuan. It owns stakes in Australian and U.S. mines.

The Liu brothers and associates were charged with crimes including murder, assault, illegal detention, blackmail and operating casinos.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is carrying out an anti-corruption crackdown that has ensnared politicians and businessmen. Many of the Sichuan cases are believed linked to be linked to Zhou Yongkang, the country’s former security czar.

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