In a landmark sentencing ruling on Friday, a British court in London sentenced a British Chinese woman to 6 years and 8 months in prison for assisting her employer in a Bitcoin money laundering case.
This case has garnered significant attention from investors in both the UK and China due to the involvement of 61,000 Bitcoins seized by the British police, as well as the infamous illegal fundraising case in China that involved a staggering 40 billion RMB.
The judge stated, “There is no doubt that you knew what you were doing.”
Public records indicate that the defendant, Jian Wen, was born in China and moved to the UK with her husband, Marcus Barraclough, in 2007 while seven months pregnant. They divorced in 2010 due to her husband’s violent tendencies, and Jian Wen raised their son while working and pursuing degrees in law and economics.
In 2017, while working in a Chinese restaurant and living in a basement in London, Jian Wen came across an advertisement for a “housekeeping assistant” position. The employer behind the ad was none other than Qian Zhimin, who used the alias “Yadi Zhang” and was the mastermind behind the Blue Sky Grid illegal fundraising case. According to police reports at the time, the case involved a staggering 43 billion RMB from 126,000 investors across 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China.
Shortly before the scheme was exposed, Qian Zhimin fled to London with a fake passport and a laptop containing an encrypted wallet. Due to the language barrier, she urgently needed a Chinese assistant to handle daily affairs and convert the Bitcoin into real estate and jewelry.
After becoming Qian Zhimin’s assistant, Jian Wen instantly entered a “luxurious lifestyle,” moving out of the basement and into a six-bedroom apartment with a monthly rent of £17,000. She splurged on luxury goods and began “travelling the world,” while also purchasing properties in Europe and Dubai.
(Jian Wen traveling in Germany, source: Metropolitan Police of London)
However, when Jian Wen attempted to purchase multiple multimillion-pound mansions in London, it triggered the UK’s anti-money laundering procedures. Based on her declared income of only £5,979 in 2016/2017 and her inability to explain the source of the Bitcoin used for the property purchases, the British police searched her residence on October 31, 2018, and seized the computer containing the Bitcoin.
In a dramatic turn of events, the British police only discovered 61,000 Bitcoins hidden in the computer two and a half years later. Jian Wen was arrested and brought to court in May 2021, while Qian Zhimin fled the UK before the police could question her.
After several years of trials, the jury at the Southwark Crown Court in London ruled in March of this year that Jian Wen was guilty of “laundering 150 Bitcoins for a Chinese woman” between 2017 and 2022. Jian Wen has consistently denied all charges against her and plans to appeal the conviction.
During Friday’s trial, Jian Wen’s defense lawyer, Mark Harries, argued that she was a victim long before she became a criminal and was undoubtedly deceived and exploited by the so-called “mastermind.” He claimed that she was merely a “middleman” who pressed the Bitcoin transaction button and had limited awareness of the criminal nature of her actions.
Prosecutor Gillian Jones, on the other hand, emphasized that Jian Wen was driven by “greed” and her own financial interests, rather than coercion, intimidation, or exploitation. She also highlighted that Jian Wen was the decision-maker behind her own encrypted wallet.
Clearly, Judge Sally-Ann Hales did not accept the defense’s arguments and told Jian Wen during the sentencing, “This is a complex and significant criminal operation, and I have no doubt that you knew what you were doing.”
And what about Qian Zhimin?
After Jian Wen’s arrest, clues about Qian Zhimin’s whereabouts were lost. However, according to the Financial Times, Qian Zhimin, who had been missing for a long time, returned to London in April this year and was detained and brought to court to face criminal charges by the British prosecution.
It is reported that the Royal Prosecution Service has accused her of possessing, acquiring, and using criminal property, namely those cryptocurrencies, in London and various parts of the UK from October 1, 2017, to April this year.
Interestingly, Qian Zhimin claimed in the information provided to the court that her date of birth was November 10, 1990, but based on various sources, she should have been born in 1978.
With the assistance of a translator, Qian Zhimin pleaded not guilty in court but did not apply for bail. The judge decided that she would remain in custody and transferred the case to the Southwark Crown Court, where Jian Wen was previously tried.