A court in Shenzhen City sentenced Chinese scholar He Jiankui to three years in prison and fined 3 million yuan (about $ 430 thousand) for conducting an illegal experiment with the birth of twins from genetically modified embryos, The Guardian reported.

 Two other people on his research team received lesser sentences and fines.

“The three accused did not have the proper certification to practise medicine, and in seeking fame and wealth, deliberately violated national regulations in scientific research and medical treatment,” the court said, according to Xinhua. “They’ve crossed the bottom line of ethics in scientific research and medical ethics.”