May 18th, 2010
01:03 PM ET

Chinese tycoon sentenced to 14 years in prison

Huang Guangyu, who was once named China's richest man, is now going to prison.

Huang Guangyu, once China's richest man, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in prison, state media reported.

Huang - the head of Gome, one of China's leading retail chains - was charged with stock-market manipulation, insider trading and bribery.

The sentence, handed down Tuesday, also fines Huang 600 million yuan ($87.8 million) and confiscates property worth 200 million yuan ($29.2 million), said the Xinhua news agency.

The 41-year-old Huang went on trial in late April.

He emerged as a rags-to-riches entrepreneur in the late 1980s, when young Chinese pursued business ideas and turned them into multi-million dollar ventures.

Born to a poor family in southern Guangdong province, he moved to Beijing in his late teens and, with a capital of 30,000 yuan ($4,391), set up with his brother a home appliances distribution company. He founded Gome Electrical Appliances Holding in 1987 and built it into a flourishing retail chain.

Huang ranked first on Hurun's China Rich List, a local publication, in 2008 with an estimated fortune worth $6.3 billion. Such a top ranking is usually not celebrated in China because of the scrutiny it brings. Huang typically kept a low profile despite his wealth and influence.

His meteoric rise has captured the popular imagination in and outside China. He also inspired many aspiring Chinese entrepreneurs.

Police detained Huang in November 2008 for an investigation into suspected "economic crimes." Little was heard of him or of the investigation but the police dragnet gradually grew wider, ensnaring government and police officials in charge of fighting financial crimes.

Huang resigned from Gome's company board in January 2009.

In February, after 15 months in custody, Huang was formally charged.

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Filed under: China • Justice
soundoff (94 Responses)
  1. TONG

    I WANT TO SAID HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BUDDHA TODAY MAY- 21-TWO THOUSAND AND FIVE- HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD NOW IF THE BUDDHA STILL LIVING TO SAW THIS HEAVEN AND HELL PLACE ON THIS MOTHER OF ALL PLANET EARTH ....................................................................................................................................................................... NUM MO THAN INHALE------------------------------------------ A YI DA PHAP THAN EXHALE THIS ARE THE HAPPY BUDDHA TAUGHT TO ALL HUMAN FORM HOW TO THINK OF THE BREATHING INHALE AND EXHALE WAY OF HEAVEN LIFE . AND NOT WAY OF HELL LIFE .

    May 21, 2010 at 12:08 pm | Report abuse |
  2. TONG

    BILLIONNAIR STILL GOING TO HELL AGAGAGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH.

    May 21, 2010 at 12:10 pm | Report abuse |
  3. TONG

    THAT WHY CONSCIOUS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR ONE OWN TO MAKING A DECISION EITHER GOING TO HELL OR HEAVEN ARE JUST ONE WANT IT TOBE , BUT IS UP TO ONE LIVE LIFE IN ONE ENVIRONMENT AND ONE PARENT GUIDE ONE TO BECOME HELL OR HEAVEN OF LIFE , AND NOT ANIMAL GUIDING ONE TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE LIFE

    May 21, 2010 at 12:16 pm | Report abuse |
  4. TONG

    ONE TRY TO LOOK INTO THE MIRROR WHO ONE WILL SAW IS ONLY ONESELF , THAT ONE CAN BECOME GOD LIKE IF ONE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE LIFE LIKE THE NATURE WAY LIKE WHAT ONE THINK THAN THAT ONE WILL EVENTUALLY GOT IN THE COMING WEEKS OR MONTHS OR YEARS

    May 21, 2010 at 12:30 pm | Report abuse |
  5. TONG

    OUT OF ALL THE INVENTION ARE CAME FROM ONE MIND OF THOUGHT OF THINKING POWER , THE MIND ARE VERY POWERFUL IF ONE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW HOW TO USING IT OR NOT THAT ANOTHER GENE QUESTION . LOL

    May 21, 2010 at 12:33 pm | Report abuse |
  6. TONG

    SO TO THE EASY WAY OUT FIRST ARE ONE GOT TO FOCUS ON THE BREATHING INHALE AND EXHALE TECHNIQUE FOR A MILLION TIME INHALE AND EXHALE WAY THAN WHO KNOW ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE ONE CAN INVENT SOMETHING FOR THE HUMAN LIFE FORM ENJOY . LOL

    May 21, 2010 at 12:35 pm | Report abuse |
  7. TONG

    HUMAN FORM GOT TO LEARN HOW TO WALK BEFORE ONE CAN RUN FAST LIKE A SPEED OF LIGHT . LOL

    May 21, 2010 at 12:37 pm | Report abuse |
  8. TONG

    THERE ARE WATER AND FIRE AND AIR OXYGEN YEAH AIR OXYGEN NO AIR NO ONE HUMAN FORM OR ANIMAL CAN SURVIVE THAT WHO CAN LIVE BY DAY IN AND DAY OUT . THAT WHY GOT TO THINK IT THAT AIR ARE THE SAME VALUE AS THE CASH FLOW

    May 21, 2010 at 12:46 pm | Report abuse |
  9. TONG

    ANYWAY I NEED SOME MONEY FROM THE BILLIONNAIR FOR ME TO START OUT MY TAOISM TEMPLE FOR THIS ARE MY GOAL AND DREAM DAY IN AND DAY OUT JUST FOR THE HUMANITY THAT ALL NOT ONLY FOR ME ALONE I LIKE TO HELPING OTHER WITH THE PURPOSE OF LIFE , NOT JUST FOR CREATING CRIME LIKE THAT IS NOT GREAT FOR THE HUMAN FORM HEAVEN WAY OF LIFE . THANKYOU TO ALL THE HUMAN FORM OUT THERE IN THIS MOTHER OF ALL PLANET EARTH LIFE

    May 21, 2010 at 12:54 pm | Report abuse |
    • TONG

      LIFE LIKE THIS NOW A DAY IS VERY HARD FOR ALL OF THE HUMAN FORM OUT THERE NOW A DAY , I KNOW NOTHING IS FREE , ONE GOT TO EARN FROM IT , WHY MOST OF THE HUMAN FORM NOT THINKING MORE ABOUT THE INHALING BREATHING AND EXHALING BREATHING TECHNIQUE TO OVER COME THE SADDNESS AND DEPRESSION AND MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY , THAT WHY I WANT TO SHARE MY THOUGH FOR ALL THE HUMAN FORM OUT THERE ON THIS MOTHER OF ALL PLANET EARTH ARE PLEASE THINKING MORE ABOUT THE BREATHING INHALE AND EXHALE ARE MORE VALUE THAN GOLD AND DIAMOND COMBINE HUMAN FORM CAN NOT SWALLOW THE GOLD AND DIAMOND INTO THE HUMAN FORM STOMACH , AM I RIGHT OR WRONG .

      May 21, 2010 at 1:06 pm | Report abuse |
    • TONG

      HUMAN FORM ARE JUST NEED FOOD TO EAT AND SWALLOW DAY IN AND DAY OUT NOTHING ELSE , BESIDE ELSE MATERIAL ARE NO LONGER IMPORTANT TO THE DOWN TO EARTH HUMAN FORM TYPE . I THINK MIND OVER MATTER , MOST OF THE HUMAN FORM SICKNESS ARE FIRSTLY CAME FROM ONE THOUGH AND MIND THAT CAUSE ARE THE DIFFERENCE TYPE OF SICKNESS , THAT WHY ONE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO THINKING MORE OF THE BREATHING INHALE AND EXHALE TECHNIQUE TO OVER COME ALL THE SICKNESS THAT ONE OWN MIND CREATING IN THE PAST OR THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE TO COME

      May 21, 2010 at 1:13 pm | Report abuse |
  10. TONG

    I TAUGHT TAI - CHI TOO IF ANY HUMAN FORM OUT THERE WOULD LOVE TO LEARN FROM THE CRAN STYLE FORM PLEASE LET ME KNOW I WELL SHOW IT FREE .

    May 21, 2010 at 12:56 pm | Report abuse |
  11. TONG

    HUMAN FORM ALWAYS LOVE TO THINKING ABOUT COMPETE AND COMPETE FOR WHAT , ONE GOT TO LEARN HOW TO ENJOY LIFE AS A HUMAN FORM NOT IN THE ANIMAL FORM OF WAY . HUMAN FORM ARE NOW LIVING IN THE CIVILIZATION WORLD NOW A DAY ALL HUMAN FORM NOW A DAY ARE EDUCATED IS NOT LIKE HUMAN FORM DON"T KNOW NOTHING . THE TWENTY–FIRST CENTURY ARE THE BRIGHTEST OF THE BRIGHTEST CIVILIZATION WORLD EVER . HUMAN FORM HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO BUILD UP THE RESTROOM FOR ONE ANOTHER TO GO TO , IS NOT LIKE HUMAN FORM DOES NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF BUILDING UP A RESTROOM BACK IN THE STONE AGE ERA . LOL ALL HUMAN HAVE TO GO HERE AND THERE TO POUP . LOL

    May 21, 2010 at 1:45 pm | Report abuse |
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