Chinese woman pleads not guilty to UK laundering charges

Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, pleaded not guilty to Bitcoin laundering in a London court.

Qian, a Chinese citizen, was arrested in April and charged with two counts of money laundering, according to Bloomberg. The UK Criminal Prosecution Service alleges that before April 23, Qian possessed and transferred illegal cryptocurrency as part of a larger operation.

Zhimin Qian and Jian Wen

Authorities allege that Qian recruited Jian Wen, who was sentenced to more than six years in prison for his involvement in a money laundering scheme. Wen was found to have 61,000 Bitcoins (BTC) worth over £3 billion ($4 billion) at his home during a police raid in 2018.

Wen’s arrest reportedly led investigators to Qian, who has been dubbed the “Crypto Queen.” He is accused of defrauding 130,000 Chinese investors of $5.6 billion between 2014 and 2017. Despite these allegations, Qian denies all criminal conduct and plans to contest the charges.

The trial will begin in September 2025 at Southwark Crown Court, where co-defendant Seng Hok Ling has also pleaded not guilty to relevant charges.