Chinese Police Seize 61,000 Bitcoins From 42-Year-Old Woman, Allegedly Involved In Money Laundering

Chinese police confiscated thousands of Bitcoins. (Photo; Doc. Modern Consensus)

JAKARTA - A woman from China, Jian Wen, has become a suspect in the crypto fraud money laundering case committed by Zhimin Qian, a fugitive who fled China to England. Qian is suspected of embezzling 5 billion pounds (IDR 100 trillion) from a fraudulent investment scheme he ran in China between 2014 and 2017.

According to Chinese police, Qian bought bitcoin with the proceeds of his crime and kept it in a digital wallet. He then used a false identity, Yadi Zhang, to enter England and rent a luxury house in Hampstead Heath, London.

There, British authorities managed to confiscate Qian's belongings, including a safe storage box and device containing more than 61,000 bitcoins, worth about 1.4 billion pounds (IDR 26.8 trillion). However, Qian has not been caught until now.

Wen, who works as a takeaway worker in London, allegedly helped Qian launder his money. He claimed to know Qian as Zhang, a jewelry entrepreneur, and was his caretaker. He also admitted to getting 3.000 bitcoins, worth about 15 million pounds (IDR 298.8 billion), from Qian as a reward for his services. He admitted that he did not know that Qian was a crypto con artist sought after by Chinese police.

Prosecutorhalnya Jones, mempercayakan keterangan Wen dan menuduhnya berbohong. Jones mengatakan bahwa Wen mungkin mengetahui asal-usulan uang Qian dan sengaja mencoba membeli properti atas namanya untuk menyelahi jejaknya. Jones juga mengatakan bahwa Wen mungkin terlibat dalam kegiatan penambangan bitcoin yang ilegal.

Wen faces three counts of money laundering and is currently undergoing trial at the Southwark Crown Court. The jury will decide whether Wen is guilty or not.