Chinese woman convicted in UK over €6bn Bitcoin fraud after record crypto seizure

A Chinese woman has been convicted in the UK of a leading role in a Bitcoin fraud after what is believed to be the world's largest cryptocurrency seizure, worth more than 5.5 billion pounds (€6.3 billion).

Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, pleaded guilty on Monday at London's Southwark Crown Court to illegally acquiring and possessing the cryptocurrency.

Her guilty plea followed a seven-year probe into global money laundering, the Metropolitan Police said.

The 47-year-old orchestrated a large-scale fraud in China between 2014 and 2017 by defrauding more than 128,000 victims and storing the stolen funds in Bitcoin assets, according to the police.

She then fled China, using false documents, and entered the UK, where she attempted to launder the illegal proceeds by purchasing property in late 2018, the authorities said.

The Metropolitan Police said it had seized a total of 61,000 Bitcoins from Qian.

"This is one of the largest money laundering cases in UK history and among the highest-value cryptocurrency cases globally," said Will Lyne, head of economic and cybercrime command at the Metropolitan Police.

Another Chinese woman, 43-year-old Jian Wen, was convicted last year for her role in the Bitcoin fraud. Wen was jailed for six years and eight months.

Qian will be sentenced at a later date.

"Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organised criminals to disguise and transfer assets, so that fraudsters may enjoy the benefits of their criminal conduct," said Robin Weyell, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service.

"The CPS will now work to ensure, through criminal confiscation and civil proceedings, that the criminal assets remain beyond the fraudsters' reach," she added.