A Chinese businessman was sentenced to 15 years in prison for 10 robberies in Russia in 1993, including the well-known "Trans-Siberian Train Robbery."

Shao Xun was convicted of stealing US$21,800, more than 500,000 rubles (US$16,800) and 7,600 yuan (US$1,200) in cash as well as gold rings, necklaces and watches in Moscow, the Beijing Railway Transportation Intermediate People's Court said.

Shao, 42, returned 100,000 yuan during the interrogation, which enabled him to get a lighter sentence, the court said, according to the news portal People.com.cn.

The court also deprived Shao of his political rights for three years and confiscated over 88,000 yuan from him.

Shao went to Moscow in 1992 to sell down jackets and became a gangster after he himself was robbed in January 1993.

The Shanghai native illegally crossed the border of Hong Kong after the train robbery and traveled around some cities in southern Guangdong Province to do business, according to testimony in an earlier trial.

He bought a fake ID in 2005 and changed his name to Lin Yonghai. Three years ago, he opened a company in Nanning, capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The court said during his stay in Guangdong and Guangxi, he started to believe in Buddhism and actively engaged in charity. Shao's lawyer said his company had donated more than 1 million yuan to charity and he was honored by the Nanning authorities.