UK Smashes Crypto Crime Record: £5.5B Bitcoin Bust Leaves Fraudsters Reeling!
A £5.5 billion bust! The UK seized 61,000 Bitcoin from Chinese national Zhimin Qian, marking the world’s largest crypto seizure. Qian, who lured victims with promises of daily dividends, now faces sentencing. The UK hopes to use this windfall for budget plans. This is one for the blockchain history books!
Hot Take:
Crime doesn’t pay, especially when your Bitcoin wallet gets raided like a piñata! Zhimin Qian, aka Yadi Zhang, just went from being a crypto queenpin to a cautionary tale. But hey, at least she’s getting a crown of the wrong kind, as her bust sets the record for the largest crypto seizure ever. Talk about breaking the bank—literally! With £5.5 billion in Bitcoin seized, the UK police not only caught the crook but also made a mint for the Queen’s treasury. Better luck next time laundering in Monopoly money, Zhimin!
Key Points:
– UK authorities achieved the world’s largest cryptocurrency seizure of £5.5 billion.
– Zhimin Qian, aka Yadi Zhang, was convicted of crypto fraud involving 61,000 Bitcoin.
– The fraud duped 128,000 victims, mostly seniors, between 2014 and 2017.
– Qian fled China with false documents but was nabbed in the UK in 2024.
– Jian Wen, her accomplice, was also sentenced for laundering a portion of the fraud proceeds.