Qingdao Court Upholds 10-Year, 9-Month Sentence in 107 Bitcoin Theft Case

A Qingdao appellate court rejected the defendant’s appeal in November 2025, leaving in place a 10-year and 9-month sentence over the theft of 107 Bitcoin valued at more than 22.54 million yuan.

BTC

Summary

A court in Qingdao, China, upheld a 10-year and 9-month prison sentence in a case involving the theft of 107 Bitcoin worth more than 22.54 million yuan. Prosecutors said the defendant used a wallet mnemonic obtained during wallet registration to transfer the Bitcoin through multiple transactions and convert more than CNY 660,000 across multiple platforms. The appellate court rejected the appeal in November 2025 and affirmed the original verdict. The case is notable because it recognized Bitcoin’s property attributes under Chinese criminal law, meaning the asset was treated as property in a theft prosecution.

Terms & Concepts
  • Wallet mnemonic: A sequence of backup words used to restore access to a crypto wallet. Anyone with it can typically control and transfer the wallet’s assets.
  • Bitcoin: A decentralized digital asset recorded on a blockchain and transferable without a central intermediary.
  • Blockchain transaction: A transfer recorded on a distributed ledger, creating an on-chain record of asset movement.