Summary Petar Stoyanov was sentenced to life in prison for belonging to an organized crime group.
A nine-time European sumo champion from Bulgaria and two other men have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for belonging to an organized crime group responsible for three murders and arsons.
The 36-year-old Petar Stoyanov, who was elected president of the Bulgarian sumo federation in 2009, Vasil Kostov and Georgi Valev were found guilty of aiding the murder of three businessmen in 2008 and 2009, as well as of a series of beatings, arson and usury.
The regional court in the northeastern town of Shumen on Thursday also sentenced three other men from the same gang to jail terms between four and 17 years.
The six men were arrested in 2010. They can appeal the sentences within two weeks.
