The US SEC is preparing a trial of the founder and participant of the BitConnect cryptopyramid

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The US SEC has completed an investigation into the BitConnect cryptopyramid. According to the official charges, its founder Satish Kumbhani embezzled $325 thousand BTC, estimated at today's exchange rate of $15 billion.

In the dock will be the main promoter of the pyramid Glen Arcaro, and six other active participants of the scam.

Given the amount of damage caused, $2 billion at the time of the scam, the US SEC will require a jury trial for the accused. Kumbhani will not be among them, and authorities have not been able to determine his whereabouts.

Arcaro and 4 other people pleaded guilty and actively helped expose the activities of cryptopyramide. In particular, they confirmed the falsity of BitConnect's communications of a stable income of 40% per month on the profits generated by a robot trading the volatility of the BTC exchange rate. In reality, the cryptopyramide paid out profits to the first investors due to the influx of funds from new depositors.

Glen Arcaro's role was to develop a network of promoters in North America, for which he received 15% of each amount raised by this team. The US SEC determined that his actions caused investors $24 million in losses already compensated by the accused.

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The US Department of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office of the Southern District of California sold crypto assets confiscated from the "promoter" of the BitConnect pyramid, in the amount of $56 million to compensate the victims.

The website of the US Department of Justice states that last Friday, District Judge Todd Robinson granted the request of the department and the prosecutor's office to grant authority to sell crypto assets seized from a BitConnect representative. The proceeds will be paid to users who have suffered losses when investing in this project. The Justice Department said that the sale of confiscated cryptocurrencies for $56 million will be the largest compensation that victims of cryptocurrency fraud in the United States will receive.

The US government has already started searching for victims affected by BitConnect's actions. They are also encouraged to visit the official website of the US Department of Justice to learn about their rights to compensation and what they need to do to get it. According to court documents, on September 1, 44-year-old Glenn Arcaro of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to a massive conspiracy to defraud BitConnect investors in the United States and abroad. The court will sentence Arcaro on January 7, 2022. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

According to the agency, the attackers fraudulently convinced investors to invest more than $2 billion in the project. The founders of BitConnect promised them a monthly profit of 40%, plus additional interest when investing large amounts. The platform has been operating for more than two years, and its BCC token has been among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization for some time.

• Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/56-m...irst-step-compensate-victims-bitconnect-fraud

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The Australian promoter of the cryptocurrency pyramid BitConnect, three and a half years after being charged, pleaded guilty to fraud in the amount of $2.4 billion.

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John Bigatton confirmed that he promoted BitConnect's unlicensed financial services on social media, held several seminars across Australia, and personally met with investors to encourage them to invest in the cryptocurrency scheme. On July 5, the Sydney District Court is scheduled to pass sentence — Bigatton faces a fine and up to two years in prison.

BitConnect is considered one of the largest cryptocurrency scams, which affected hundreds of investors around the world. Total losses are estimated at $2.4 billion. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) states: the organizers of the scheme lured potential investors with high fixed interest rates. To participate in the investment scheme, investors were offered to purchase their own token of the BitConnect platform. At the same time, investors were not allowed to withdraw deposits before the loan term expired.

Several years ago, ASIC accused Bigatton of offering unlicensed financial services. The agency demanded to ban the BitConnect promoter from providing financial services for seven years. Bigatton was later arrested for promoting BitConnect. The creators of the project actively advertised the scheme since 2016 around the world, but in 2018 the project suddenly closed its websites and social media accounts. This has led to serious investigations in several countries.

In 2022, the US Department of Justice filed formal charges against BitConnect founder Satish Kumbhani. Later, a federal district court in San Diego ruled that 800 affected investors from more than 40 countries should receive compensation for $17 million.
 
The Sydney District Court has found John Bigatton, the Australian promoter of the $2.4 billion BitConnect scam scheme, guilty of providing unlicensed financial services.

The man was sentenced to three years of restriction of freedom on condition of good behavior. He won't be able to run any business for five years.

• Source: https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news...ed-for-providing-unlicenced-financial-advice/
 
Indian Police Detain the Kidnapper of BitConnect crypto pyramid Promoters

Indian law enforcement authorities have detained a man suspected of abducting two people associated with the closed BitConnect crypto platform. The man tried to recover his lost investment in this way.

Shailesh Babulal Bhatt (Shailesh Babulal Bhatt) lost money by investing in the cryptocurrency BitConnect Coin, which turned out to be a fraudulent scheme, the Indian police said. Bhatt, along with his accomplices, abducted two employees who may have worked with the alleged creator of BitConnect, Satish Kumbhani. In exchange for his release, the kidnapper demanded 2,091 BTC, 11,000 LTC and 145 million Indian rupees (about $1.7 million).

Investigators allege that Bhatt paid INR 2.9 billion ($34 million) to his associates for their involvement in the kidnapping and extortion. This money, according to law enforcement, was spent on the purchase of real estate and gold.

Bhatt was detained on August 13 and charged under India's Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A court in Ahmedabad remanded the man in custody.

The BitConnect platform was launched in 2016 and collapsed two years later, in 2018. Due to the collapse of the platform, 4,000 people from 95 countries were affected — their losses amount to about $2.4 billion. In February 2022, the Ministry of Justice of India named those responsible for creating a crypto scheme and implementing an illegal lending program. Location — still unknown.

Two BitConnect members have already appeared in court. In September 2021, the American promoter of BitConnect, Glenn Arcaro, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud using electronic means of communication. On September 16, 2022, he was sentenced to 38 months in prison in his homeland.

In May, BitConnect promoter John Bigatton pleaded guilty to $2.4 billion in fraud. In July, he was convicted by the Sydney District Court of providing unlicensed financial advice.
 
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