A former lawmaker in central Hunan Province was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for gang-related crimes, according to a court verdict.

Li Xiangming, 38, former deputy to the Hunan Provincial People's Congress, was also deprived of his political rights for two years and fined 1.52 million yuan (233,846 U.S. dollars), the Yuhu District People's Court in Xiangtan City, Hunan, announced in the verdict.

Li, also board chairman and general manager of Hunan Zhongyi Group, a real estate developer, stood accused of organizing and masterminding a series of crimes since 2008 that included rape, assault, racketeering, illegal imprisonment and gun smuggling.

Twenty-six other defendants who were involved in the crimes under Li's direction were sentenced from 14 months to 14.5 years and were fined a total of 1.277 million yuan.

Li's company, Hunan Zhongyi Group, was also fined 1 million yuan for loan fraud, according to the verdict.