UK seizes 61,000 Bitcoin worth $7B in one of the world’s largest crypto fraud cases.
Zhang and Ling plead guilty to laundering funds tied to a $5.6B Chinese investment scam.
Civil battle looms over seized Bitcoin as victims and UK government vie for recovery.
Two individuals accused in one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud cases in UK history have pleaded guilty to charges of laundering criminal funds using Bitcoin.
Yadi Zhang, 47, also known as Zhimin Qian, admitted to possessing and transferring criminal property, while her assistant, Seng Hok Ling, also 47, pleaded guilty to dealing in cryptocurrency.
Their guilty pleas came on the eve of their 12-week trial at a London court.
Both are scheduled to be sentenced on November 10.
The case stems from a 2018 seizure of approximately 61,000 Bitcoin from a West London property, now valued at nearly $7 billion.
The haul is among the largest cryptocurrency recoveries ever made by law enforcement worldwide.
Prosecutors allege that Zhang orchestrated a fraudulent investment scheme that generated much of the illicit funds, while Ling assisted in transferring the proceeds into cryptocurrency accounts.
Background of the fraud and investigation
The criminal case is connected to broader investment fraud originating in China.
In 2017, Chinese authorities began investigating a suspected fraudulent project in Tianjin, which defrauded more than 128,000 people nationwide.
The project, operated under the company Tianjin Lantian, lured investors with promises of high returns, ultimately stealing 40 billion yuan ($5.6 billion).
Fourteen Chinese nationals have been convicted in relation to that scheme.
Within the UK, Zhang and her associates facilitated laundering part of these proceeds through cryptocurrency.
Another woman involved, Jian Wen, who lived with Zhang in Hampstead, was previously convicted of laundering Bitcoin and sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Wen’s involvement highlighted the rapid rise in lifestyle and assets that could result from such schemes; she went from working in a fast-food takeaway to enjoying a six-bedroom house, international travel, and luxury shopping trips.
Zhang’s lawyer, Roger Sahota, noted that her guilty plea “hopes to bring some comfort to investors who have waited since 2017 for compensation,” emphasizing the impact on victims who were defrauded in both China and the UK.
Legal and financial implications
The case underscores growing concerns about the use of cryptocurrencies in organized crime.
Robin Weyell, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly being used by organized criminals to disguise and transfer assets, so that fraudsters may enjoy the benefits of their criminal conduct.”
With Zhang and Ling’s guilty pleas, the UK criminal proceedings in this high-profile case are drawing to a close.
Attention is now expected to turn to civil proceedings that will determine how the recovered cryptocurrency is distributed between defrauded investors and the UK government.
The outcome will likely influence future enforcement and recovery efforts in cases involving crypto-based financial crime.
The case also highlights the intersection of international crime and digital finance, showing how cross-border cooperation is necessary to tackle large-scale fraud.
Authorities in both China and the UK coordinated efforts to trace, seize, and prosecute the illicit funds, reflecting a growing global focus on curbing cryptocurrency-enabled crime.
