NANNING - Thirty-eight people involved in a pyramid selling scheme in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region were sentenced to prison, with terms ranging from 18 months to three years, police said on Wednesday.

The People's Court of the Qingxiu district in Nanning city ruled in an open trial that the 38 people from 15 provinces and autonomous regions across the country are guilty of organizing pyramid selling in Guangxi.

The court order also imposed a fine of 16.8 million yuan ($2.58 million).

Beginning in 2006, the pyramid selling ring had operated in several cities of the region, involving more than 1,000 people and tens of millions of yuan. The ring was cracked by police in 2009.

The criminals' illegal assets, which had been frozen by legal authorities and included 14 vehicles and more than 6.65 million yuan, have been turned over to the Treasury.