BEIJING (AP) — A former Chinese mining tycoon was sentenced to death Friday for leading a crime gang that killed rivals, a state news agency reported, in a case that revealed ties between organized crime and politicians.

Liu Han had been chairman of energy conglomerate Sichuan Hanlong Group in the southwestern province of Sichuan, which owns stakes in Australian and U.S. mines. He disappeared in March 2013, temporarily disrupting deals to finance mine development in Nevada and Australia, before police announced he had been detained.