A Chinese researcher who created the world’s first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison for illegal medical practices.

An associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, He Jiankui became the most infamous scientist on the planet last November following his announcement that he had used the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR to create a pair of twins who were immune from contracting HIV.

At an academic conference in Hong Kong later that month, the Stanford-trained scientist had defended his research, declaring that he was proud of what he had accomplished, arguing that his goal was only to prevent babies born to HIV positive parents from inheriting the terrible defense.

He had believed that once his study was made public he would be hailed as a hero. Instead, he was widely denounced for crossing every line, scientifically and ethically, opening up a Pandora’s box to a world where “designer babies” were suddenly a reality.

Following that conference, He went missing, only to later turn up under house arrest back in Shenzhen at a university dormitory.

In January, an investigation team announced that He had deliberately avoided supervision, even forging ethical review papers, while organizing and conducting research into human embryo gene-editing for the purpose of reproduction that was illegal as well as of “an uncertain safety level.”

The team charged that in doing so He was after “personal fame and fortune” and faces “serious punishment.”

That punishment was delivered on Monday with a court in Shenzhen sentencing He to three years in prison and fining him 3 million yuan ($430,000).

In addition, He’s two assistants — Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou — were also punished. Zhang was hit with a two-year prison sentence and 1 million fine while Qin received an 18-month sentence with a two-year reprieve and a fine of 500,000 yuan.

All three have been banned for life from working in human genetics.