A Chinese woman received 11 years in prison after having her bitcoins in the amount of $6 billion confiscated.

47-year-old Chinese citizen Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, has been sentenced by a London court to 11 years and 8 months in prison for fraud and money laundering. In September, she pleaded guilty.

In 2018, the police of the United Kingdom confiscated 61,000 bitcoins related to it, which at the current exchange rate amounts to over $6.3 billion. This is the largest cryptocurrency seizure in the country's history.

"The scale of money laundering is unprecedented," said Judge Sally-Ann Hale as she delivered the sentence.

Qian remained on the run until April 2024, when she was arrested in the city of York. During the search, devices containing keys to cryptocurrency wallets, cash, and jewelry were found.

From 2014 to 2017, Qian led an investment pyramid in China. Her company Lantian Gerui collected money under the guise of investments in biotech and mining. Over 120,000 people fell victim to the scheme, mostly retirees.

Avoiding arrest in China, she fled on a scooter to Myanmar. After that, she traveled through Southeast Asia and Europe, using fake passports, before settling in the UK under the fictitious name Yadi Zhang.

There she led a luxurious lifestyle - renting elite real estate, buying jewelry and objects in Dubai. She was assisted in money laundering by Jian Wen, who had previously been sentenced to six years, and Seng Hok Ling, who was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison.

The investigation lasted seven years. The seized bitcoins may either go towards compensating the victims or remain under the control of the British authorities; this question has not yet been resolved.