In the process of signing and performing a contract, whoever, under any of the following circumstances, defrauds the other party of property for the purpose of illegal possession, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also, or shall only, be fined. If the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined. If the amount is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or confiscated:

(1) Signing a contract in the name of a fictitious unit or others;

(2) Mortgaging with forged, altered or invalid bills or other false property rights certificates;

(three) to perform a small contract or part of the contract first, to deceive the other party to continue to sign and perform the contract, and to have no actual performance ability;

(4) After receiving the payment for goods, advance payment or secured property paid by the other party;

(5) defrauding the other party's property by other means.

Whoever, in violation of state regulations, commits one of the following illegal business operations and disrupts the market order, if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal income. If the circumstances are especially serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years, and shall also be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal income or confiscated property:

(a) operating a franchise or monopoly commodity or other commodities whose operation is restricted by laws and administrative regulations without permission;

(2) buying and selling import and export licenses, import and export certificates of origin and other business licenses or approval documents stipulated by laws and administrative regulations;

(three) without the approval of the relevant competent departments of the state, illegally engaged in securities, futures, insurance business, or illegally engaged in fund payment and settlement business;

(four) other illegal business activities that seriously disrupt the market order.

Article 224 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) * * * organizes and leads pyramid schemes in the name of selling goods and providing services, requires participants to obtain the qualification to join by paying fees or purchasing goods and services, and forms a hierarchy in a certain order, and directly or indirectly uses the number of developers as the basis for remuneration or rebate, and induces or coerces participants to continue to develop others to participate in pyramid schemes, defrauding property and disrupting economic and social order, and shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention. If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years and fined.