""Today marks the result of years of painstaking work," said Detective Sergeant Isabella Grotto, who led the investigation. "When our team located Zhimin Qian, she had been evading justice for five years, and her arrest triggered a complex investigation requiring evidence from multiple jurisdictions and the careful review of thousands of documents.""
"The Met launched its investigation into Qian in 2018 after she entered the UK illegally using false documents. She carried out what the police describe as a "large-scale fraud in China" between 2014 and 2017, and then attempted to launder the significant proceeds after arriving in the UK. The three-year fraud affected more than 128,000 people and netted Qian 61,000 Bitcoin, which at current prices is worth more than £5.5 billion ($7.4 billion)."
Zhimin Qian pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to two offences of acquiring and possessing criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act after a seven-year investigation. Qian entered the UK illegally using false documents and carried out a large-scale fraud in China between 2014 and 2017 that affected more than 128,000 people. The fraud netted 61,000 Bitcoin, currently valued at over £5.5 billion, with the seized tokens worth about $404 million at the point of seizure. Qian attempted to launder proceeds through property purchases involving associate Jian Wen, who bought properties in Dubai and was jailed. The investigation involved cross-jurisdictional cooperation with UK and Chinese law enforcement and support from the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service.
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