On December 27, 2023, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange announced typical cases of foreign exchange-related crimes. Among them, Zhao Dong, a currency circle tycoon (former investor in the TEDA project (USDT)), bought 13 Bitcoins to directly make his fortune. The case of hundreds of millions, the contract liquidation in 2014, and later the OTC business became popular) is eye-catching.
✅Let us review the case first:
- On June 24, 2020, Zhao Dong was arrested on suspicion of illegal business operations.
- In April 2021, the Hangzhou Xihu District People's Court announced that Zhao Dong will be tried for "illegal business operations and aiding information network criminal activities."
- During the trial of the case, the Procuratorate found that Zhao Dong’s team was involved in the crime of illegal foreign exchange trading.
✅Important unexpected turning points:
- Zhao Dong originally pleaded guilty, but due to team member Zhao Peng (Zhao Dong's younger brother) not pleading guilty, the procuratorate further investigated and discovered more crimes.
✅Final result:
- On March 24, 2022, Zhao Dong was sentenced to seven years in prison.
- In September of the same year, the appeal was dismissed and the original verdict was upheld.
To be honest, it is very rare for the prosecutor to change the type of crime charged and add an additional sentence in a case that has been tried. In addition to his pig teammates, perhaps it was something Zhao Dong said in court that gave him an extra four years in prison.
At that time, the judge asked him if he understood the situation of this more than 10 million yuan order. Zhao Dong replied that such small orders were handled by the team and there was no need to handle it himself. The judge was shocked at the time and asked him, is more than 10 million yuan a small amount to you? Zhao Dong......
It stands to reason that Zhao Dong should have understood the power of Iron Fist after being around for so long, but he still underestimated the case. Zhao Peng was arrested and asked to return to China for investigation. He returned from Japan. Nothing would happen if he did not return.
Friends, this case reminds us:
There is no small matter before the law.
Zhao Dong could have been given a lighter sentence, but because of his careless words and the fact that his teammates did not plead guilty, the crime was increased. On the legal road, you need to be careful every step you take!
In short, we respect the judgment of the law and hope that Zhao Dong can regain his freedom as soon as possible.
Seven years later, I wonder if Zhao Dong still holds Bitcoin and will become rich passively like Wang Xin seven years later?