Sect Made Millions Illegally, Police Say

Leaders of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect made a fortune through illegal publication of the group’s books and tapes, Chinese government-controlled media reported in Beijing. The reports said millions of tapes and books were sold illegally, enriching founder Li Hongzhi, who lives in exile in New York, and his top assistants in China. Li has denied that he amassed wealth from Falun Gong. Police say the group’s leaders made $4.6 million in profits in three cases under investigation, state-run television and the official New China News Agency reported. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China reported that authorities sentenced five Falun Gong members to one year in a labor camp and rounded up about 500 other members in the past month in 11 cities, with most held for 15 days to one month.