On October 25, the Yu'an District People's Court of Lu'an City released the news that on October 24, the court held a public trial of the first instance to hear the case of Cheng Zhaosheng and 21 other defendants suspected of organizing, leading, and participating in a mafia-type organization.
The public prosecution alleged that in 2010, defendant Cheng Zhaosheng and Yang Hao opened a casino in Huoshan County, and in order to obtain illegal benefits, they successively gathered Yang Minglong, Yang Mingjun, and many other persons who had been released from prison and were idle in society, and used violence or soft violence to repeatedly carry out illegal and criminal activities such as picking quarrels and provoking trouble, gathering crowds to fight, and illegal detention. In order to establish illegal authority, expand illegal influence, and grab greater illegal benefits, Cheng Zhaosheng and Yang Hao continued to recruit Tang Gang, Fang Haiming, Wei Cong, Yu Fangyong, and Wei Xueming, and with the participation of Haitao, Li Junmao, Qian Cheng, Yin Chuanfu, and others, wantonly carried out illegal and criminal activities such as opening casinos, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, gathering crowds to fight, illegal detention, fraud, illegal mining, fraudulently obtaining loans, obstructing testimony, and other illegal and criminal activities, as well as other means to wantonly amass wealth, seriously undermining the local economy, society, and living order, and causing an extremely bad social impact. Gradually form a criminal organization of an underworld nature with Cheng Zhaosheng and Yang Hao as organizers and leaders. The organization has a relatively large number of people, with clear organizers, leaders and fixed backbone members, which have seriously violated citizens' personal rights and property rights in order to grab illegal benefits and do evil.
During the trial, the collegial panel conducted a courtroom investigation closely around the charges, criminal facts, and evidence charged by the public prosecution organs, and the prosecution and defense fully expressed their public prosecution opinions and defense opinions on issues such as conviction and sentencing and application of law. Due to the complexity of the case and the large number of people involved, the trial is expected to last for 4 days and the verdict will be pronounced on a later date.
During the trial, more than 100 relatives of the defendant and the public observed the trial.
Yufa Xin'an Evening News Anhui Network Dawan News reporter Dou Zujun
Edited by Wang Cui