UK woman Jian Wen jailed for laundering bitcoin tied to US$5.6 billion China fraud
- Wen went from staying in the basement of the Chinese takeaway where she worked in London to living in a mansion and going on shopping sprees at Harrods
- She says she is a victim and only followed instructions from a woman described as the ‘mastermind’ by her lawyers
A woman was sentenced to six years and eight months in jail for laundering massive amounts of bitcoin linked to an alleged US$5.6 billion investment fraud in China.
Jian Wen, a former fast food worker who transformed her life with a luxurious lifestyle, was found guilty of one count of money laundering relating to about 150 bitcoin for a Chinese woman between 2017 and 2022. In the wider operation, the police seized over 61,000 bitcoin, now worth over US$4 billion.
“This was an offence which was sophisticated and involved significant planning,” Judge Sally-Ann Hales said Friday, as she handed down the sentence. “I am in no doubt that you knew what you were dealing with.”
Wen, who holds British and Chinese citizenship, consistently denied all allegations against her and is appealing against her conviction. She said she was a victim and only followed instructions from a woman described as the “mastermind” by her lawyers.
Wen did not know the money was obtained in a fraud, her lawyer said. She was not accused of any role in the underlying fraud in China. Instead she was “duped and used” and she “bitterly regrets her involvement” with the alleged mastermind, her lawyer Mark Harries said during the Friday hearing.