"Qian was on the run since 2017 after carrying out a large-scale fraud in China between 2014 and 2017, which affected more than 128,000 people. She established Lantian Gerui, a company in China that ostensibly developed technology and mined Bitcoin, attracting many investors whose funds were later misappropriated. The 47-year-old, of no fixed address, fled China in 2017 to the UK, traveling under false documents and an assumed identity, after converting the stolen funds into cash, jewellery, and Bitcoin."
"She rented a mansion in the affluent London borough of Hampstead, which police raided a year later after receiving intelligence of an attempted realization of criminal assets in London. The raid led to the seizure of her incredible stash of more than 61,000 Bitcoin, which at today's value is worth £4.8 billion ($6.3 billion) and is thought to be the single largest confirmed cryptocurrency seizure in history."
A seven-year Metropolitan Police investigation concluded with Zhimin Qian receiving an 11 years and eight months prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing and transferring criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Qian ran a large-scale fraud in China from 2014 to 2017 through Lantian Gerui, misappropriating investor funds and affecting more than 128,000 people. She fled to the UK in 2017 under false documents, converted stolen proceeds into cash, jewellery and Bitcoin, rented a Hampstead mansion and attempted to realize assets. Police seized over 61,000 Bitcoin (~£4.8bn), the largest confirmed cryptocurrency seizure, and associates were prosecuted for laundering attempts.
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