Qian Zhimin (criminal)

Zhimin Qian (Chinese: 钱志敏, also known as Yadi Zhang) is a Chinese fraudster.[1] She was convicted in September 2025 at Southwark Crown Court in London of illegally acquiring and possessing more than £5bn worth of Bitcoin.[2] She had attempted to launder the proceeds in the UK. The case is believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world, involving multiple jurisdictions.[3] Qian had conducted a Ponzi scheme scam in China between 2014 and 2017 using her company Lantian Gerui and involving more than 128,000 victims who transferred her funds which she converted into Bitcoin.[3]

Jian Wen, a Chinese takeaway worker, was jailed in 2024 of attempting to launder some of the proceeds of Qian's fraud. She was jailed for 6 years and 8 months.[3] Wen's £300 million of bitcoin were seized by the Metropolitan Police. Wen had rented a large house in north London and had no evidence of how she had legitimately obtained the money.[3] She had also bought two houses in Dubai for £500,000.[3]

Qian was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison on 11 November 2025.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Bitcoin and a Chinese fraudster in London" – via The Economist.
  2. ^ "UK seeks to keep £5bn bitcoin haul after money laundering convictions". FT.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Chinese woman convicted after 'world's biggest' bitcoin seizure". BBC News. 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  4. ^ "Fraudster who hid in London is jailed over £5.5bn bitcoin scam". The Guardian. 11 November 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
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