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A wife has allegedly stolen up to £180 million worth of Bitcoin from her husband by secretly installing cameras in their home to obtain his passwords.
Fun Yung Li is accused of taking the cryptocurrency from her husband, Ping Fai Yuen, during discussions about their divorce, a High Court has heard.
Yuen, 44, claims his wife installed a covert CCTV system in their family home in an exclusive Brighton neighbourhood, enabling her to discover where he kept his security credentials.
The businessman is now suing both his wife and her sister for the cryptocurrency, which is estimated to be worth between £160 million and £180 million. The case involves 2,323 Bitcoin.
According to reports, the funds were stored in a digital ledger accessed via a “cold wallet” — an offline storage device protected by a six-digit PIN code.
Yuen said he first became suspicious in July 2023 after his eldest daughter raised concerns about her mother’s actions.
He subsequently installed audio recording equipment in the home and claims it provides clear evidence that Li “obtained the seed phrase and exfiltrated the Bitcoin.”
His wife was allegedly recorded discussing the hidden CCTV cameras. In one transcript, she is quoted as saying: “The Bitcoin has been transferred to me, but can it be seen that you have taken it?”
Yuen also claims recordings captured his wife expressing concern about potential police involvement over possible money laundering, given the large sums involved.
He further alleges that Li transferred the funds into 71 separate blockchain accounts, possibly with assistance from her sister, Lai Yung Li.
In August 2023, Yuen was arrested after confronting his wife and later pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault.
He subsequently reported the alleged theft, leading to his wife’s arrest in December 2023.
During a search of the property, detectives reportedly recovered ten cold wallets, five recovery seed phrases, and several watches.
Police have since said no further action will be taken unless new evidence emerges.
Li, who was born in China and now resides in Hong Kong, has filed an affidavit stating she was “unaware of any information required” in response to questions about the cryptocurrency transfers.
During the High Court proceedings, Mr Justice Cotter said Yuen had “demonstrated a very high probability of success” in his claim.
“The evidence suggests he was warned about what his wife intended to do. The transcripts are compelling, and the equipment recovered supports the allegation that the Bitcoin was exfiltrated,” the judge said.
“She has had multiple opportunities to provide her account but has declined to do so.”
Yuen is seeking the return of the Bitcoin or its equivalent value, along with a court order freezing any cryptocurrency assets held by his wife and her sister.
