Recently, the judicial authorities in Chongqing made a judgment on a case of cryptocurrency theft, sentencing three defendants to fixed-term imprisonment for illegally stealing cryptocurrencies worth 370,000 yuan, including USDT. This case is considered the first criminal judgment on USDT theft in the country, and it has reference significance for the judicial practice in China's cryptocurrency field.
According to the information disclosed in the case, on June 26, 2024, the three defendants stole digital assets from 25 wallets using previously obtained company digital wallet addresses and private keys. After the theft, they transferred, liquidated, and divided the stolen assets. The investigation found that part of the illegal proceeds was used for online gambling activities, with more than 50,000 yuan already cashed out.
After the incident, law enforcement successfully recovered digital currencies worth 220,000 yuan, including USDT and ETH. The three defendants made economic compensation of more than 150,000 yuan to the victim unit and obtained their understanding. These circumstances were considered by the court during sentencing.
The court ruled that the three defendants jointly committed the crime, but it was not appropriate to distinguish between principal and accessory offenders based on their specific roles in the case. Eventually, they were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from three years and six months to four years and six months.
The judgment of this case has attracted attention within the industry, as it provides a judicial precedent for handling similar cryptocurrency theft cases. The judicial authorities have shown their attitude towards cracking down on illegal and criminal activities in the field of digital currencies through this case, and also provided legal warnings for the security protection of digital currencies.
The judgment of this case is considered an important practice of legal regulation in the field of digital currencies, and it has reference value for the handling of similar cases in the future. As digital currencies become more popular and widely used, such judicial cases will provide legal protection for the healthy development of the industry.
