A Chinese court today sentenced former mining tycoon Liu Han and his brother Liu to death finding them guilty of "organising and leading mafia-style crime and murder".
The Xianning Intermediate People's Court in central China's Hubei Province announced the verdicts on the first trials of 36 members of an allegedly mafia-like gang led by Liu.
Liu Wei, Liu Han's brother, was also sentenced to death, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The Liu brothers and 34 other defendants were accused of crimes including organising, leading and participating in a criminal gang and intentional homicide.
The trials, which saw 36 defendants simultaneously prosecuted in seven cases, ended on April 19.
They were the largest criminal group of its kind on trial in China in recent years.
