Sanjar Umarov "headed an organized criminal group and also created several offshore companies to commit economic crimes," Judge Zokirjon Isayev said in announcing the guilty verdict and sentence.
Umarov was a thorn in the side of Uzbek security, condemning them for the violent suppression of an uprising last year. He was a rare high-profile critic of the government in this tightly-controlled Central Asian state.
Umarov's lawyer immediately announced plans to appeal the sentence. Umarov was also ordered to pay more than eight million dollars in fines and was banned from pursuing any business activity in Uzbekistan for three years following his release.
Charges denied
The judge noted that Umarov had denied all of the charges against him, but said his guilt had been proven by state prosecutors, who had been seeking an 18-year jail term for him.
Human rights groups say Uzbek authorities have instituted a crackdown on dissent in the wake of popular uprisings in other former Soviet republics.
Umarov, 49, was arrested in October after returning from a visit to theUnited States, where he has business and family links.
He was tried along with three other men, petrol station attendants found guilty of making illegal profits by cheating motorists then passing funds to Umarov.
Umarov's movement, Sunshine Uzbekistan, rose to prominence because of vocal criticism of Uzbek authorities over last May's crackdown in the eastern province of Andijan.
The government says 187 people died in the violence, all due to the actions of Islamic insurgents witnesses say several hundred may have been killed after security forces fired randomly into a crowd.
Earlier this month, Nodira Hidoyatova, the movement's coordinator was also sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including tax evasion, money laundering and membership of an organised criminal group.
In further evidence of a political crackdown two US-funded groups, Freedom House and Eurasia Foundation, announced they would close down after coming under pressure from Uzbek authorities.