Assistant mayor jailed for gang crimes
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Twenty-five people, including a city leader, got jail terms ranging from 14 months to 19 years for gang crimes in central China's Hubei Province, local authorities said Wednesday.
Huang Hongyan, assistant mayor of the city, got 5 and a half years in jail for participating in a gang, embezzling public funds and forcing trade, said the verdict of the People's Court of Jianli County, Tianmen City, in the first instance trial Tuesday.
The ring leader Xiahou Sicong was sentenced to 19 years in prison. He amassed a huge sum of money by organizing gambling and lending money
His company, Tianmen Youfu Trading Co., monopolized the city's building materials markets by using violence and bribery, the court said.
Between 2001 and 2008, the 25 members committed 13 kinds of crimes including leading, organizing or participating in gangs, causing intentional injuries as well as destruction of production and operation.
The gang injured at least nine people, among whom three were severely injured, the court said.
Xiahou said he would appeal to a higher court.
