A network engineer was accused of stealing funds from a gambling website. Authorities in two locations filed cases and seized 183 Bitcoins.

BlockBeats News, January 20 — Shenzhen IT professional Li Dong (alias) was targeted by police from Hunan and Hubei provinces. His cryptocurrency wallet contained a large amount of Bitcoin. Public security authorities in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan, and Changge City, Henan, have both filed criminal cases against Li Dong, alleging the crime of “running a casino.” Zhangjiajie police seized over 100 Bitcoins from Li Dong’s account, worth more than 40 million RMB; Henan police confiscated 80 Bitcoins, with a market value exceeding 40 million RMB. Later, Li Dong was not officially charged with “running a casino,” but he was prosecuted by the Changge City Procuratorate in Henan for suspected theft and infringement of citizens’ personal information. In January 2026, the case was publicly tried in Changge City Court. After the adjournment, the court stated it would schedule another hearing.

“Post-80s” Li Dong is a network information security engineer, with a university major in information security. He has worked in network security technology at several well-known internet companies and later settled in Shenzhen, where he recently started an internet business. According to his family, around 2016, Li Dong began trading stocks and cryptocurrencies, acquiring some Bitcoin. However, police investigations later suggested that his Bitcoin came from other sources. In September 2024, the Public Security Bureau of Zhangjiajie City, Hunan, summoned Li Dong on suspicion of “running a casino.” It turned out that in May of that year, Zhangjiajie police filed a case based on “anonymous tips” regarding online gambling, and Li Dong was listed as a suspect. Zhangjiajie police confiscated 103 Bitcoins from Li Dong’s digital wallet, worth over 49.61 million RMB. Soon after, Li Dong was released on bail pending trial. The seizure and bail documents changed the suspected crime from “running a casino” to “illegally obtaining computer information system data.” (The Paper)