"China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) has alleged a nation-state entity, probably the USA, was behind a 2020 attack on a bitcoin mining operation and by doing so has gone into bat for entities that Beijing usually blasts. CVERC on Sunday used its Weixin account to publish a report that recounts the late 2020 attack on bitcoin mining pool operator LuBian, which operated in Iran and China, and was targeted in an attack that saw unknown parties make off with 127,272 bitcoin."
"The Chinese agency alleges that the owner of the stolen bitcoin was Chen Zhi, chairman of the Prince Group of Cambodia, who "repeatedly posted messages on the blockchain in early 2021 and July 2022, appealing to the hackers to return the stolen Bitcoin and offering to pay a ransom, but received no response." CVERC notes that whoever stole the bitcoin stashed them in a wallet that remained "almost untouched" for four years."
"The Chinese agency's report then jumps forward to October 14th, 2025, when the US Department of Justice announced the unsealing of an indictment that charges Chen Zhi with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy "for directing Prince Group's operation of forced-labor scam compounds across Cambodia." The DoJ also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately 127,271 Bitcoin that it says are the "proceeds and instrumentalities" of Zhi's fraud and money laundering schemes."
China's CVERC alleges a likely U.S. nation-state conducted the late-2020 attack on bitcoin mining pool LuBian that stole 127,272 BTC. The agency identifies Chen Zhi, chairman of Cambodia's Prince Group, as the owner of the stolen coins and notes his blockchain appeals for their return and ransom offers. CVERC reports the theft wallet stayed almost untouched for four years, which it treats as a sign of nation-state involvement. The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed charges against Chen Zhi in October 2025 and filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking roughly 127,271 Bitcoin, which the DoJ says are now in U.S. custody. CVERC includes blockchain forensic analysis linking the funds to U.S. control.
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