Illegal fund-raising cannot be sentenced to death. Illegal fund-raising is suspected of the crime of fund-raising fraud and the crime of illegally absorbing public deposits. The maximum punishment for the former is fixed-term imprisonment of more than seven years or life imprisonment, with a fine or confiscation of property. The maximum punishment of the latter is fixed-term imprisonment of more than 10 years and a fine. The death penalty is not included. The crime of illegal absorption of public deposits refers to the illegal absorption of public deposits or the absorption of public deposits in disguised form in violation of the national financial regulations, which disturbs the financial order and constitutes a crime. The crime of fund-raising fraud refers to the act of using fraud to illegally raise funds in a large amount for the purpose of illegal possession.
 Legal basis
 Article 176 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [Crime of illegally taking in public deposits] Whoever illegally takes in public deposits or takes in public deposits in a disguised form, thus disrupting financial order, 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 if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; If the amount is especially huge or if there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years and shall also be fined.
 Where a unit commits the crime mentioned in the preceding paragraph, it shall be fined, and the persons who are directly in charge and the other persons who are directly responsible for the crime shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
 Those who have committed the acts mentioned in the preceding two paragraphs and actively return stolen goods and compensation before initiating public prosecution to reduce the occurrence of damage may be given a lighter or mitigated punishment.
 Article 192 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China [Crime of fund-raising fraud] Whoever illegally raises funds by fraud for the purpose of illegal possession, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years and shall also be fined; If the amount is huge or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than seven years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or sentenced to confiscation of property.
 Where a unit commits the crime mentioned in the preceding paragraph, it shall be fined, and the persons who are directly in charge and the other persons who are directly responsible for the crime shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.