A recent Financial Times report uncovers the sentencing of a British-Chinese woman, Jian Wen, to six years and eight months in prison for laundering Bitcoin derived from a £5 billion fraud in China.
London Mansion Raid Unveils £3 Billion Bitcoin Stash
In 2018, London’s Metropolitan Police raided Wen and Zhang’s Hampstead mansion, seizing devices containing 61,000 Bitcoin, valued at over £3 billion, marking one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures globally.
Authorities investigated Wen for attempting to purchase a London mansion using Bitcoin. Prosecutors alleged that Wen’s former boss, Zhang, orchestrated a £5 billion fraud scheme in China.
Wen was convicted of laundering proceeds between 2017 and 2022, involving sophisticated planning, although she wasn’t linked to the original fraud.
Her lawyer described Wen as fragile and manipulated, but the judge disagreed, emphasizing her involvement in dealing with crime proceeds.
Letter Calls for UK-China Negotiations
Wen admitted to controlling a Bitcoin wallet but claimed ignorance about the cryptocurrency’s source. She enlisted intermediaries to convert Bitcoin into assets between 2017 and 2020.
The Metropolitan Police aims to recover the confiscated funds and is collaborating with Chinese authorities. Both countries are working together to pursue fugitives and reclaim assets.
Victims of the scam in China seek UK-China negotiations to reclaim Bitcoin purchased with their money.
Bitcoin is currently trading at $68,150 after falling below the $70,000 milestone.
Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com
