фото показано с : invezz.com

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged five operators of global crypto ‘Ponzi-scheme’ with fraud and money laundering. According to a release by the US Attorney’s Office,  the five intentionally participated in an elaborate plot to defraud investors by promising guaranteed high returns through crypto mining.

Four of the accused were arraigned in the Southern District of New York courts on 19 August. They included Airbit Club co-founder, Pablo Renato Rodriguez, their lawyer, Scott Hughes, and two promoters of the multi-level marketing scam;  Cecilia Millan and Jackie Aguilar. The other remaining culprit, Gutemberg Dos Santos, was arrested in Panama and is awaiting extradition to the US.

Audrey Strauss, the acting US Attorney, stated,

“The defendants put a modern-day spin on an age-old investment scam, promising extraordinary rates of guaranteed return on phantom investments in cryptocurrencies.”

Airbit club was founded in 2015, where memberships to the club were sold at $1,000, and investors were promised daily returns. Two of the accused, Milan and Aguilar, promoted the investment through YouTube videos and hosting expensive parties. According to the court papers, investors flocked into the scheme and could see their money accumulate on an online portal but couldn’t cash in on the profits. Meanwhile, the operators were splashing the cash on luxury watches, cars, and other extravagant stuff.

As early as 2016, investors started complaining about delays in withdrawing their returns. The requests were met with excuses, and in some instances, victims incurred 50% hidden fees of the withdrawal request, which was too high. In May 2019, a publication revealed that Sao Paulo Public Ministry was investigating the much-hyped Airbit Club. In April, the Ponzi closed a victim’s account, citing ‘economic and financial impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.’

A guilty verdict for the accused will attract a 20-year sentence for wire fraud and money laundering individually. Those found guilty of bank fraud will attract a maximum prison term of 30 years.

A recent study by Bloomberg revealed that crypto scams are on the rise, with up to $24 million worth of Bitcoin lost to fraudsters in the first two quarters of 2020. Scammers are now devising advanced techniques to defraud innocent victims through strategies such as impersonation of celebrities, get rich schemes and fraudulent social media channels. The FBI issued a press release warning people that there could be an increased occurrence of crypto scams due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The post US DOJ charges operators of crypto ponzi Airbit Club with fraud appeared first on Invezz.

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