A “Crypto queen” fraudster who masterminded a scam that led UK police to seize more than £5.5bn in Bitcoin was arrested in bed, police bodycam video shows.
Zhimin Qian, 47, of no fixed address, defrauded more than 128,000 victims in China through a Ponzi scheme before fleeing to the UK as an international fugitive.
She stored the illegally obtained funds in Bitcoin assets and spent years evading UK police by travelling across Europe, staying in upmarket hotels and living a life of “luxury”, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Qian’s accomplice, Seng Hok Ling, 47, of Morningside Walk, Matlock, Derbyshire, was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to transferring criminal property over his role in the fraud.
When Qian and Ling were convicted in September, the value of the Bitcoin was more than £5.5 billion, according to police.
On Tuesday, 11 November, Qian was jailed for 11 years and eight months after admitting money-laundering offences and transferring and possessing criminal property, namely cryptocurrency.
