Met Police Makes History With $7.3B Crypto Seizure
The Metropolitan Police have made history with the largest cryptocurrency seizure to date. Zhimin Qian, dubbed the 'Bitcoin Queen', has been convicted for money laundering, leading to the confiscation of 61,000 Bitcoin, currently valued at over $7.3 billion. Qian's criminal activities spanned from 2014 to 2017, during which she defrauded over 128,000 victims. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) first investigated Qian's involvement in 2018, ultimately leading to the seizure of her Bitcoin assets. The Met's Economic Crime teams have been pursuing Qian for years, culminating in her guilty plea. Qian attempted to launder her ill-gotten gains through the UK, but the authorities successfully tracked and seized the funds. The seizure of 61,000 Bitcoin from Qian sets a new record for cryptocurrency confiscations. Her conviction serves as a stark warning to those involved in cryptocurrency-related crimes that such activities will not go unpunished.
