China sentences man to life for selling state secrets for crypto

A Chinese man convicted of espionage and allegedly receiving more than 1 million yuan through cryptocurrency has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to a local news report on November 8, the People’s Court sentenced Wang Momou to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of espionage.

According to the report, Wang allegedly had ties to foreign spy agencies after suffering significant losses by investing in cryptocurrency. This financial hardship reportedly led him to seek job opportunities through online forums.

During this time, Wang was recruited and persuaded to sell state secrets. According to the prosecutor, Wang received more than 1 million yuan in cryptocurrency payments for his activities.

Initially, Wang provided small amounts of national security information, but after receiving initial payments for “a few photos and documents,” he gained the confidence to share more.

“The national security agency found that Wang provided top-secret and classified state secrets to the other party and obtained more than 1 million yuan of spy funds through uploading and trading virtual currency.”

Weixin news source.

Working as an officer in a security unit, Wang stole confidential documents by bypassing necessary procedures and regulations, such as recording and signing documents. A search conducted by the national security agency revealed a large number of highly classified documents on his computer.

China’s jailing of Wang comes just months after the country extradited a suspect in a $14 billion crypto scheme in Thailand. Meanwhile, in August 2024, Taiwan also found several people guilty of spying on behalf of China and accepting payments in cryptocurrency.