Liao is also nicknamed "Northwest Tiger" (西北虎).
[citation needed] On March 15, 2015, Liao Yongyuan was placed under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-corruption agency.
In 1999, Liao became the general manager of Tarim Oilfield (塔里木油田).
[4] On March 15, 2015, Liao Yongyuan was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party for "serious violations of laws and regulations".
[5] On January 19, 2017, he was sentenced to 15 years, and fined 1.5 million yuan.