Japanese, Taiwanese scammers jailed in S China

ZHUHAI -- Five Japanese nationals and a Taiwanese were jailed by a south China court on Friday for their parts in a telemarketing scam and the beating to death of one of their conspirators with an electric shock stick.

Sato Tsuyoshi conspired with Taiwanese defendant Tsai Ming-fong in Zhuhai city of Guangdong province and coerced the other defendants to swindle money from residents of Japan from April to June 2013, according to the Zhuhai City Intermediate People's Court.

Tsai was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan ($3,268).

Tsuyoshi was also found guilty of killing a conspirator by beating him with an electric shock stick, the court said.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined 20,000 yuan, while the other four Japanese defendants received three years and five months in prison. They were also fined 5,000 yuan each.

The scammers posed as police or bank employees to demand that their victims deposit money in bank accounts.