It also jailed eight other people in the case for prison terms ranging from 7-11 years.

All the nine people, including Quan 37-year-old wife, Nguyen Thi Mong Thu, were found guilty of a€œfraud and usurping others property€.

The couple, both from the southern province My Tho Town, and seven accomplices conned around 1,500 people out of more than VND11 billion (US$617,400), according to the indictment.

The ring persuaded these people in the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang and Can Tho City to invest money via an illegal online network to earn interests of 55-66 percent per month.

Since last year, thousands of people nationwide have been persuaded to put their money into the online network called Colony.

The couple had begun to use the Colony network in May 2007 and opened transaction points through their seven accomplices.

Reported by Thanh Quoc