The way I understand it is he pissed off the DOJ. Those fuckers will persecute you if you helped an old lady accross the street while they were trying to run her over.
What they uncovered is he paid for a contract for murder against someone he blamed for stealing from him. I haven't heard this refuted.
Multiple life sentences? Yes, that's ridiculous. They justify it by claiming he facilitated other illegal acts, though its difficult to convict for a crime he was not party to.
Paying a contract for murder is far from a non-violent crime.