Not-Guilty Defense vs. Guilty Plea with Acceptance— in this game, who has the final say: the lawyer or the defendant? The result is right here.

Wu learned that, according to lawyer Liu Yang, the closely watched case of a college student who launched a "meme coin" project and "pulled the rug" for profit has seen further developments. The defendant was initially sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison with a fine of 30k yuan in the first instance, and the defense lawyer had entered a not-guilty plea during the first trial. During the second-instance trial, the college student voluntarily pleaded guilty and accepted punishment, and the appellate court ultimately imposed a suspended sentence and released him. Industry insiders point out that in criminal cases involving virtual currencies, the choice of litigation strategy is crucial. It is common in judicial practice for defendants who plead guilty and accept punishment to receive lighter or reduced sentences, while insisting on a not-guilty plea, though a lawyer's right, requires careful consideration of the strength of the case's evidence system and potential sentencing risks.