Deep Tide TechFlow news, on November 8, according to Guangming.com, a recent retrial of a 'forced transfer of virtual currency case' in Wuhan, Hubei, was changed to robbery after the second trial, with the criminal Wang Qiang (pseudonym) sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison. A review of the case shows that in January 2023, Wang Qiang contacted Deng Dawei (pseudonym) online, falsely claiming to buy Tether. At the transaction site, Wang Qiang threatened Deng Dawei's uncle, Deng Gang (pseudonym), with a knife, forcing Deng Dawei to remotely transfer 43,785 Tether (worth about 290,000 yuan). Wang Qiang then exchanged part of the virtual currency for 17,000 yuan.
During the trial, the determination of the crime and the amount involved became the focus of controversy: the first-instance court recognized it as extortion and sentenced Wang Qiang to 4 years and 8 months in prison. The Jianghan District Procuratorate filed a protest, arguing it should be recognized as robbery. The second-instance court accepted the opinion of the procuratorial organ, changed the verdict to robbery, and increased the sentence to 11 years and 6 months.
The procuratorial organ believes that although Tether does not have monetary attributes, it has the attributes of property under criminal law. Wang Qiang's actions meet the characteristics of robbery, which involve 'using violence on the spot and taking property on the spot.' In addition, at the time of the incident, Deng Gang acted as Deng Dawei's agent and had actual control over the virtual currency. Wang Qiang's actions infringed upon Deng Gang's personal rights and his control over the virtual currency.
