Man guilty of part in $15m Bitcoin golf club plot to kidnap wealthy Chinese businessman

A man has been found guilty for his role in the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman who was snatched from a golf course as he played, and then held to ransom for $15m in Bitcoin.

Tianfu Guo, 35, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to blackmail following a trial at St Albans Crown Court, but cleared of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The jury was told that at about 4.10pm on 24 October 2023, the victim Dylan Huang had been playing golf when he was approached by a group of men who pointed a pistol at him and bundled him into a black Audi Q7.

The car, which was on cloned plates, sped off after Mr Huang was snatched from the seventh hole.

A major police investigation was launched and Guo was located in central London the following night.

He had driven to the Chinatown area, where he was arrested at 9.41pm, and an SD card was recovered from his vehicle which showed surveillance video footage of the victim.

An hour after Guo's arrest, the victim was released, having been held captive in a holiday home that his captors had rented in Thursley in Surrey.

After he was kidnapped, he was kept in a cage and his captors demanded a ransom of $15m in Bitcoin.

The cage was so small that the victim could not stand up or stretch his legs out, the court heard. He was not allowed to use the toilet and he was only allowed to eat a little – some dried beef and biscuits on the day he was taken, and an apple and milk the next day.

After hours in the cage, the captors assaulted the victim by hitting his leg.

He was then driven to Cobham in Surrey and released, having been warned not to go home or call police, and told his family would be at risk if he failed to follow instructions.

He was able to get help and called a taxi to return home, where police were waiting for him.

Guo had claimed he had been visiting the UK for two or three months and “was just a tourist.”

He said he had nothing to do with the kidnap and had come to the UK for the purpose of sightseeing and to investigate any opportunities for work.The married dad-of one, who had previously worked as a fruit wholesaler and recruitment agent, arrived at Heathrow Airport on 9 July 2023 on the recommendation of a friend.

He said the person who had arranged his accommodation in the UK had asked him to drive a man to Welwyn Garden City in a Q5 car, but he had not known of the kidnap plans.

Six other suspects are still on the run and believed to be in China, the court was told.

Det Insp Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said: “I am glad that the jury have reached this decision today.

"It continues to be a complex and challenging case and our officers were working around the clock to find the victim safe. He was put through a traumatic ordeal and he has been supported by our specially trained officers.

"I hope that today’s result goes some way in helping him to recover from his ordeal.”

Guo will be sentenced on Thursday.

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