[World's Largest Cryptocurrency Case: Chinese Woman Pleads Guilty in the UK, Involving 61,000 BTC (Approximately $6.75 Billion)]
According to the International Business Times (IBT), Chinese national Zhimin Qian pleaded guilty on September 29 at Southwark Crown Court in London to possessing criminal cryptocurrency assets. The case involves 61,000 bitcoins previously seized by UK police, valued at approximately $6.75 billion at current prices, making it the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world to date.
Reportedly, between 2014 and 2017, Zhimin Qian defrauded over 128,000 victims in China through investment scams, amassing approximately £5 billion. She then converted the illicit proceeds into bitcoin and fled to the UK in 2017 to launder the money.
UK police launched an investigation in 2018 and seized a digital wallet containing 61,000 bitcoins that same year. Sentencing for Zhimin Qian and her accomplices is scheduled for November 10, 2025.