A network engineer is accused of embezzling funds from a gambling website, with law enforcement agencies in two locations successively filing cases and seizing 183 bitcoins.

**Shenzhen Cybersecurity Engineer Li Dong (Pseudonym) Targeted by Hunan, Henan Police Over Bitcoin** On January 20, 2024, Li Dong (a pseudonym)—a Shenzhen-based IT professional and cybersecurity engineer—was targeted by law enforcement in China’s Hunan and Henan provinces. Authorities discovered a large amount of Bitcoin in his crypto wallet, sparking investigations by police in Zhangjiajie (Hunan) and Changge (Henan). Initially, Li was suspected of **operating an online gambling ring**. Zhangjiajie police seized 103 Bitcoins from his digital wallet, which converted to over 49.61 million yuan (RMB). Henan police later seized 80 of his Bitcoins, worth over 40 million yuan on the market. A post-80s native, Li holds a degree in information security and worked in cybersecurity at major tech firms before moving to Shenzhen and founding a local tech company. His family stated he began trading stocks and crypto around 2016 and acquired some Bitcoin, but police later found his Bitcoin came from an “alternative channel.” In September 2024, Zhangjiajie police summoned Li on gambling suspicion—triggered by an anonymous tip in May 2024 linking him to an online gambling case. He was later released on bail, but charges on his seizure order and bail documents shifted from gambling to **illegally obtaining data from a computer information system**. Li was never convicted of gambling. Instead, the Changge City Procuratorate charged him with theft and violation of citizens’ personal information. A public hearing was held in Changge City Court in January 2026, but the court recessed and announced a new hearing date would be set. (Source: The Paper News)