Taiwan Court Convicts 8 in Espionage Case Involving Crypto Payments

Taiwan’s high court on Thursday convicted eight people, including military personnel, of espionage for China, with payments allegedly made in cryptocurrency, the Central News Agency reported. The sentences range from 1.5 to 13 years in prison, while one individual was acquitted, and another remains at large. According to the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau, the Chinese Communist Party recruited these individuals to gather military intelligence, using virtual currency to obscure the transactions. This case underscores the rising use of cryptocurrency in covert operations, offering a level of anonymity that complicates detection. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, concerned about these security breaches, pledged to intensify its efforts to uncover and prevent further espionage.