The mastermind of a vast Ponzi scheme in China was on Tuesday jailed in Britain for over 11 years for laundering the proceeds of the fraud into cryptocurrency now worth billions of dollars.

Qian Zhimin pleaded guilty to two money laundering charges in September, after an investigation during which British police seized more than 61,000 bitcoin — currently worth over $US6 billion ($9.1 billion) — in one of the largest ever cryptocurrency seizures.

Qian, who has come to be known as the "cryptoqueen" due to her lavish lifestyle, wept in the dock at London's Southwark Crown Court as Judge Sally-Ann Hales made her sentencing remarks.

"You were the architect of this offending from its inception to its conclusion … your motive was one of pure greed," Judge Hales said.

Another accused individu

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