This article is reprinted with permission from Mankun Blockchain Legal Services, authors: Shi Wei, Li Shuhui, copyright belongs to the original authors.
On November 11, 2025, the UK Ministry of Justice released the Sentencing Remarks, confirming that Zhimin Qian (also known as Yadi Zhang) was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison.
This is the latest development as the case officially entered the sentencing phase following Zhimin Qian's guilty plea in court at the end of September.
Looking back to September 29, 2025, Zhimin Qian (also known as Yadi Zhang) pleaded guilty in the Southwark Crown Court in London to two charges:
- Possessing criminal property;
- Transferring criminal property.
Presiding Judge Sally-Ann Hales sternly stated in the sentencing remarks:
"Zhimin Qian, you are the mastermind of this crime, and it has been your planning from start to finish.
Your money laundering scale is unprecedented, and your motivation is purely greed.
When you left China, you showed no compassion for the investors you deceived and who lost their savings, yet you lived a lavish life overseas.
You repeatedly wove lies and schemed, all driven by your own selfish desires.
With the help of accomplices you bought and manipulated, you successfully evaded judicial sanctions for seven years.
Had you not pleaded guilty, the sentence would have been thirteen years. Because you pleaded guilty and surrendered, the court exercised discretion to reduce the sentence, imposing 11 years and 8 months in prison."
—— Excerpt from Judiciary.uk Sentencing Remarks (November 11, 2025)
The court ultimately ruled:
- The two charges to be served concurrently;
- Total sentence of 11 years and 8 months in prison.
According to the investigation materials from the UK police and courts, Zhimin Qian was the core planner and fund controller of this case. She not only controlled the Bitcoin accounts of illegal proceeds but also personally directed multiple key transactions, instructing her assistants to transfer funds. The court determined that her criminal behavior was highly organized and concealed, lasting for seven years.
After the financial chain of Blue Sky Ge Rui broke in 2017, Zhimin Qian quickly used a forged passport to leave China and settled in a mansion in Hampstead, a wealthy area in North London.
In 2018, UK police raided the residence, seizing electronic devices, private keys to cryptocurrency wallets, and a large number of luxury goods. The police confirmed:
- She held approximately 70,000 Bitcoins when she arrived in the UK;
- By October 31, 2018, her holdings increased to 71,417 Bitcoins, dispersed across seven wallets;
- These wallets were subsequently seized by the police on October 31, November 1, and April 22, 2024.
Two key assistants in the case also became the focus of the judiciary:
- Jian Wen: Chinese assistant, sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison for money laundering on March 18, 2024;
- Seng Hok Ling: Malaysian assistant, sentenced concurrently with Zhimin Qian, received 4 years and 11 months in prison for assisting in fund transfers and cryptocurrency asset management.
Zhimin Qian was arrested in York, UK, on April 22, 2024, and was formally brought to trial on October 21 of the same year. Throughout nearly a year and a half of judicial proceedings, she maintained a "not guilty" defense until the first day of the trial on September 29, 2025, when she changed her plea to guilty.
According to the UK Criminal Procedure Rules and the guidelines from the Sentencing Council, if a defendant pleads guilty only on the first day of the trial, the reduction in sentence is usually no more than 10%. The court noted that Zhimin Qian's delayed guilty plea, while avoiding a full 12-week trial, did not reduce the workload for the prosecution's pre-trial preparations, thus only granting a 10% reduction.
The judge ultimately ruled:
- The two charges to be served concurrently, with the same sentence;
- A 10% reduction in sentence for the guilty plea;
- Final sentence of 11 years and 8 months in prison.
The court indicated that the case would continue to advance asset recovery proceedings, with 61,000 frozen Bitcoins to be disposed of according to the law to determine ownership and compensation pathways.
The UK Ministry of Justice document clearly states that this case is one of the largest and most far-reaching cryptocurrency money laundering cases in UK judicial history.
Zhimin Qian's guilty plea not only signifies a phased victory in transnational recovery but also provides a legal starting point for the victims' subsequent claims. Although the criminal case has completed sentencing, the ownership of the criminal property and compensation plans are still in progress. For domestic investors, this is a critical juncture for recovering losses. In this seven-year game, action is more meaningful than waiting.
Related: Chinese "super villain" Zhimin Qian sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in London, the largest cryptocurrency money laundering case shakes the world.
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