A former mining magnate with suspected ties to the family of China's retired security czar Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to death on Friday on charges of leading a gang on a crime spree spanning two decades.
The sentencing of Liu Han, handed down by a court in the central province of Hubei, was the culmination of one of the highest-profile cases against a private businessman since President Xi Jinping took office last year and began a campaign against pervasive graft.
Liu's younger brother Liu Yong, also known as Liu Wei, was also sentenced to death. Microblog statements from state media outlets China Central Television and the Xinhua News Agency said the brothers, along with their 36-member "mafia-style" gang, committed intentional homicide.