TechFlow News — On November 8, according to Guangming Net, a case in Wuhan, Hubei known as the "forced cryptocurrency transfer incident" was recently re-sentenced on appeal and ultimately classified as robbery. The perpetrator, Wang Qiang (a pseudonym), was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison. According to case details, in January 2023, Wang Qiang contacted Deng Dawei (a pseudonym) online, falsely claiming he wanted to purchase Tether (USDT). At the transaction site, Wang Qiang threatened Deng Dawei's uncle, Deng Gang (a pseudonym), with a knife, forcing Deng Dawei to remotely transfer 43,785 USDT—worth approximately 290,000 RMB. Wang later converted part of the cryptocurrency into 17,000 RMB.
During trial proceedings, the charge classification and the amount involved became focal points of debate. The first-instance court ruled the crime as blackmail and extortion, sentencing Wang Qiang to four years and eight months in prison. However, the Jianghan District People's Procuratorate filed an appeal, arguing that the act should be recognized as robbery. The appellate court accepted the procuratorate’s position, reclassified the offense as robbery, and increased the sentence to 11 years and six months.
Prosecutors argued that although Tether does not possess monetary status, it qualifies as property under criminal law. Wang Qiang’s actions met the legal criteria for robbery—using violence on the spot to seize property immediately. Furthermore, at the time of the incident, Deng Gang, acting as Deng Dawei’s agent, had actual control over the cryptocurrency. Therefore, Wang Qiang’s conduct infringed upon both Deng Gang’s personal rights and his control over the digital assets.
