Ex-takeaway worker is ordered to pay back £3.1m after money laundering conviction

A former takeaway worker who laundered the proceeds of fraud, which saw her rise from living above a restaurant to residing in a multi-million pound rented house, in an affluent part of North London, has been ordered to pay back more than £3.1 million or face extra time in jail. 

Jian Wen, 42, was previously convicted at Southwark Crown Court of one charge of Money Laundering, relating to a cryptocurrency wallet containing 150 Bitcoin, for which she was sentenced to six years and eight months imprisonment. 
A Metropolitan Police investigation resulted in the seizure of Bitcoin wallets, with an initial estimated value of more than £300 million. Prosecutors told the court the sheer scale of the seized Bitcoin, the lack of any legitimate evidence for how it was acquired, all indicated that it was criminal property.

In 2019, Wen travelled to Dubai, where she went on to purchase two properties worth more than £500,000. 
Throughout the course of the investigation and subsequent trials, Wen denied knowing that some, or all the Bitcoin was derived from criminality and had no suspicions about its scale. She claimed to have worked for a Chinese national who had asked her to make the purchases.

The CPS, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Service, have today secured a Confiscation Order against Jian Wen following her Money Laundering conviction.

The Judge determined Jian Wen benefitted in the sum of £3,500,113 from her criminal conduct and then made a Confiscation Order in the sum of her available assets, which were valued at £3,126,572. The Judge also ordered that if she fails to pay her Confiscation Order within three months, she could serve an additional seven years in prison. Jian Wen will remain liable for the difference between her criminal benefit and available amount and can be reinvestigated at any stage should the police become aware of her owning any new asset.

Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor said: “The CPS and the Metropolitan Police have successfully brought Jian Wen to justice. Wen is a sophisticated money launderer who laundered many millions of the proceeds of crime. We have today secured a Confiscation Order against her of more than £3.1m, which she must pay within 3 months or risk being returned to prison for an additional sentence of seven years.

“In the last five years, over £450 million has been recovered from CPS obtained Confiscation Orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £88m of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Blackburn, from the Metropolitan Police, said: “I’d like to thank the team of highly skilled detectives who, alongside colleagues at the CPS, brought Wen to justice.

“I hope the conclusion of today’s hearing sends a clear message to criminals who use sophisticated means to obtain funds illegally. They should be in no doubt that we will pursue them with persistence, determination and vigour.”