Bitcoin theft has become a new frontier for high-stakes marital disputes. The Focus Keyword Bitcoin theft is at the center of a High Court case in the UK, where Ping Fai Yuen claims his wife, Fun Yung Li, secretly filmed inside their home to gain access to his cryptocurrency holdings worth an estimated £180 million.
According to court documents, Yuen, 44, alleges that Li installed hidden CCTV cameras at their family home in an exclusive Brighton neighborhood during discussions about their divorce. The surveillance reportedly captured the location of Yuen’s security passwords and seed phrases, which control access to 2,323 Bitcoin.
The cryptocurrency was held on a digital ledger with the access key stored in a ‘cold wallet’, a device not connected to the internet and protected by a six-digit PIN. Yuen claims he first suspected wrongdoing in July 2023 after his eldest daughter expressed concerns. In response, he installed audio recording equipment, which he says captured Li discussing the theft and the CCTV setup.
Transcripts reportedly include exchanges such as: “The bitcoin has transferred to me but can it be seen that you have taken it?” Yuen alleges that Li also expressed concern about police scrutiny over possible money laundering due to the size of the cryptocurrency holdings.
Yuen asserts that Li transferred the Bitcoin to 71 other blockchain accounts, possibly with assistance from her sister, Lai Yung Li. The businessman was arrested after confronting his wife in August 2023 and eventually pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault. Li was later arrested in December following Yuen’s report of the alleged theft.
Police seized ten cold wallets, five recovery seeds, and several luxury watches during the investigation. However, authorities have confirmed they will take no further action until new evidence emerges.
Li, who was born in China and now lives in Hong Kong, filed an affidavit claiming she was unaware of information required to respond to questions about the cryptocurrency transfers. During proceedings, Mr Justice Cotter noted that Yuen had “demonstrated a very high probability of success” in his claim. The judge added that the transcripts were “damning” and that the necessary equipment to access the Bitcoin had been found.
Yuen is pursuing the return of the Bitcoin or its equivalent value and has requested a freezing order on any cryptocurrency assets held by Li and her sister. The case highlights how digital wealth can create unprecedented legal and personal risks in modern relationships.
