Mafia gang ordered to pay 3b yuan compensation

A mafia-style gang was ordered to pay nearly 3 billion yuan for ecological environment restoration and related expenses by a court in Guangdong province on Thursday.

According to the verdict passed by Foshan's Shunde District People's Court in the first instance trial, Lin Jingquan was convicted of organizing mafia-style gangs, affray, bribery, collusion in entering bids, illegal mining, organizing prostitution, and illegally purchasing and trading endangered wildlife products. Lin, the gang head, has been sentenced to 24 years and six months in prison.

The court also ordered the confiscation of all Lin's illegal assets.

And 15 other members in Lin's gang were also sentenced to between three and 19 years.

Meanwhile, nine defendants in Lin's gang, including Lin, were ordered to pay compensation valued at 2.96 billion yuan ($455.38 million) for ecological environment restoration and related expenses, said the verdict.

Lin and his gang were illegally operated fishing ports, nightclubs and washing products factories in Sanshui district of Foshan, and accumulated economic strength starting 1990s. Lin also recruited local jobless to carry out illegal activities and gradually established his mafia-style gang to conduct criminal activities, the verdict said.

Lin's gang amassed huge amounts of properties, but damaged the local ecological environment, economic and social order, and caused bad social impact, through a series of illegal and criminal activities, including provocation, affray, prostitution, collusion in bidding and illegal mining, said the verdict.

Lin was sentenced to bear the criminal responsibilities for all the crimes of his gang, while other gang members were ordered to bear the criminal responsibilities for the crimes they have participated in, the verdict added.