“Ant-breeding swindler executed in China”

The title of this post is the title of this notable AP article from China.  Here are the interesting details of how another country deals with white-collar crime:

China has executed a businessman convicted of bilking thousands of investors out of $416 million in a bogus ant-breeding scheme, state media reported Thursday.  The official Xinhua news agency said Wang Zhendong, who had been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to death in February 2007, was executed in Liaoning Province on Wednesday.

Wang, chairman of Yingkou Donghua Trading Group, had promised returns of up to 60 percent for investors who purchased ant-breeding kits from two companies he ran.

Ants are used in some traditional Chinese medicinal remedies, which can fetch a high price. Wang sold the kits, which cost $25, for $1,300, the local news media reported earlier.  Wang attracted more than 10,000 investors from 2002 to June 2005, when investigators shut down his companies.  The closure of his business set off a panic among small-time players who saw their life’s savings disappear overnight.