Overview
- A two-day hearing at Southwark Crown Court is determining Qian’s sentence, with a maximum penalty of 14 years under UK proceeds-of-crime laws.
- UK authorities hold more than 61,000 Bitcoins seized in the case, described by police as the largest cryptocurrency recovery linked to an individual in the country.
- Investigators say Qian fled China using false documents, then tried to launder the proceeds through luxury property, cash purchases and high-end goods across Europe.
- Police arrested Qian in April 2024 in York after surveillance linked transfers to her circle, seizing cash, gold and crypto worth millions, including a laptop wallet valued at about £27.3 million.
- Co-defendant Jian Wen is serving six years and eight months for money laundering, Seng Hok Ling has admitted money laundering and awaits sentencing, and civil High Court proceedings on compensation continue with about 1,300 claimants reported.