The biggest Bitcoin launderer in British history fled, his teammates became his victims

A woman named Gian Van (China) was discovered to participate in the largest bitcoin money laundering ring in British history. However, the mysterious boss behind it is another person.

Accordingly, on March 20, Gian Van was convicted by Southwark Crown Court of being involved in this money laundering ring after a 5-year investigation into cryptocurrency.

According to the indictment, Gian Van migrated to England in 2007 after marrying an English man. Gian Van came into the sights of investigators after she tried to buy a number of properties in London between 2017 and 2018, including one worth up to £23.5 million. (29.6 million USD).

It was this interest in expensive real estate that raised questions about the origin of the woman's money, leading to an investigation and accusations of money laundering. Gian Van will be sentenced on May 10.

However, Gian Van's downfall is just the tip of the iceberg in a larger Bitcoin laundering scheme run from China by a suspect known as "Hua Hua", who is still at large, according to sources. court documents.

Gian Van initially worked as Hua Hua's personal assistant in the UK, before moving on to help this person launder illegal money from China in 2017. The action was carried out by transferring Bitcoin across the border, then converting it into Cash and expensive assets.

Responding in court about her relationship with Hua Hua, Gian Van said that she did not know that the money was of illegal origin and that she was also a victim of the other woman. "I was taken advantage of," she said, noting that she didn't actually own any of the luxury items she purchased and was just a "carrier."

According to financial news agency Caixin, close sources said that Gian Van's case involves illegal capital mobilization activities orchestrated by Tianjin Lantian Gerui Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. This company illegally mobilized 43.5 billion yuan (6.01 billion USD), making more than 100,000 Chinese victims.

This Chinese company is actually run by Hua Hua, whose real name is Qian Zhì Min, 45 years old.

According to business registration information, Gerui company was founded in 2014 in Tianjin city, northern China. The company provides electronic products and internet services.

During the period from 2014 to 2017, under the guise of a technology company, Gerui introduced many asset management products, advertised as risk-free and high-profitable to attract investors. .

Marketing documents obtained by Caixin show that these products require investors to lock up funds for a period of six months to two and a half years, with a minimum deposit of 6,000 yuan (more than $820). Advertised interest rates range from 100% to 300%.

Tri Man is very mysterious. Even in the Gerui company, many people don't know her real name. This person also did not put his name on all business registration documents, but hired many people to sign the documents.

To strengthen his marketing campaign, Tri Man established a company in the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, in 2017.

This company offers cryptocurrency insurance products with promised interest rates of up to 100% per year, but is actually a "disguised" company without any insurance business license.

In July 2017, Gerui company temporarily stopped paying dividends to investors participating in asset management products, citing the need to upgrade the financial management system. Meanwhile, Ms. Tien Tri Man completed investment and settlement procedures in the UK, took on a new identity and planned to leave China.

According to London police, in September 2017, Tri Man came to London with a passport from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. This passport was issued in the name Truong Nha Dich (Zhang Yadi) with information different from Tri Man's real information.

This island nation allows dual citizenship, enabling foreigners to invest at least $250,000 in the country to apply for citizenship. Saint Kitts and Nevis passport holders can enter more than 150 countries, including the UK, visa-free.

Prime Minister Terrance Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis said at a press conference on March 8 that the island nation canceled Tien Tri Man's passport after learning it was involved in criminal cases.

The Hebei court verdict showed that Tri Man had been planning to transfer assets to the UK since 2015. By the end of 2017, Tianjin police opened an investigation into Gerui on suspicion of illegally raising capital. The investigation led to the arrest of 50 people in 2019.

Based on analysis by cryptocurrency research firm Elliptic Enterprises and the market price of Bitcoin in early 2017, it is estimated that at least about 500 million yuan ($69.1 million) was transferred overseas through cryptocurrency at the time.

The value of the 61,000 Bitcoins that have now been confiscated has skyrocketed to around 31 billion yuan.

Over the past two years, local police across China have begun efforts to return money to investors. However, an investor who signed up to receive a refund shared with Caixin that he may only get back less than 10% of his initial investment.

Previously, many similar cases had occurred. The most prominent is the character Ruja Ignatova - who holds 230,000 Bitcoins, worth 10 billion USD thanks to promoting an anonymous digital currency.

In the end, she ran away with the money, leaving behind a mess, becoming the world's largest Bitcoin fraud case.

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