Two Estonian Nationals Admit Guilt in $577M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

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Two Estonian Tricksters Caught in a Crypto Caper! 💰😱

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive! Two Estonian chaps, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, have confessed to their dastardly deeds in a whopping $577 million crypto caper! They’ve agreed to cough up a measly $400 million and are now sweating bullets as they await their fate on May 8, where they could be locked away for a whopping 20 years! Yikes! 😬

These two cheeky blokes, aged 40, were caught red-handed in a courtroom, where they admitted to selling contracts that promised their customers a treasure trove of cryptocurrency mining profits through their dodgy operation called HashFlare. But lo and behold! The mining process, which should have been as easy as pie, turned out to be more like a soggy biscuit! 🍪

Between 2015 and 2019, they raked in a staggering $577 million, but guess what? They didn’t have the computing power to back up their tall tales! It was like claiming to be a master chef while burning toast! 🔥

Users of their fancy dashboard were treated to a delightful display of false profit reports, thanks to some rather shifty technology. In a classic Ponzi scheme twist, they were simply robbing Peter to pay Paul, using the funds from new investors to keep the old ones happy. And where did all that stolen loot go? To buy shiny luxury cars and fancy real estate! Talk about living the high life! 🚗💎

Potapenko and Turõgin Admit Guilt, Will Return $400M to Crypto Ponzi Scheme Victims

After a good dose of reality, our two miscreants decided to plead guilty and hand over a whopping $400 million in assets. This treasure will be used to help the poor souls they duped, though the details are still under wraps. 🤫

They fessed up to their wire fraud conspiracy charges, and now the law is ready to throw the book at them! May 8 is the big day when they’ll find out if they’ll be spending the next two decades behind bars. The judge will have a lot to consider, but let’s hope they don’t get a slap on the wrist! 🥴

The U.S. Justice Department has given a big shout-out to the Estonian Cybercrime Bureau for their help in this wild goose chase. The Estonian Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Justice teamed up like a dynamic duo to bring these tricksters to justice. The Office of International Affairs was also on hand to lend a helping hand! 🤝

This case serves as a cautionary tale about the wild world of cryptocurrency schemes. But fear not, dear investors! Authorities are on the case, promising to protect you from these slippery scams! 🕵️‍♂️

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2025-02-16 11:13