7 sentenced in telecom fraud case in China

GUANGZHOU -- Seven people were sentenced to prison Thursday for involvement in a telecom fraud case linked to the death of a high school student last year.

Chen Minghui, the prime suspect in the case, was handed a life sentence for fraud by the Intermediate People's Court of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province. The court also ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets, and deprived him of his political rights for life.

The sentences for his accomplices range from 1 year and 4 months to 15 years, according to the court.

Cai Shuyan, a high school graduate from Jieyang, committed suicide by jumping into the sea after being defrauded out of 9,800 yuan (nearly $1,500), which she intended to use to pay university tuition fees, according to the court.

The suspects were also found to have made over 1.04 million yuan from victims from June to August 2016, the court said.