Braden John Karony
CEO of SafeMoon. Convicted by a federal jury in May 2025 of securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, and sentenced to 100 months in prison.
Also known as: John Karony
Bio
Braden John Karony was CEO of SafeMoon. The SEC and DOJ said he and others falsely told investors the project's liquidity pool was "locked" while retaining access and misappropriating assets worth more than $200 million. [1][2]
Legal outcome
Karony was convicted by a federal jury in May 2025 of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, and was sentenced to 100 months in prison and ordered to forfeit about $7.5 million. CTO Thomas Smith pleaded guilty; founder Kyle Nagy remained at large per reporting. [1][2]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Linked scams & cases
Sources (2)
- CEO of SafeMoon Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison — U.S. DOJ (EDNY)
- SEC Charges Crypto Company SafeMoon and its Executive Team — U.S. SEC
See also
- Bitcoin Latinum (LTNM)TokensA ~$16M token offering (SAFTs for 'Bitcoin Latinum' / LTNM) that the SEC charged in 2026 as fraud: founder Donald Basile falsely called LTNM 'the world's first insured digital asset' backed by an 'existing trust,' neither of which existed, and diverted investor funds for personal use (including a $160,000 horse).
- Loci (LOCIcoin)TokensA 2017–2018 ICO for 'LOCIcoin' tied to the InnVenn IP-search platform. The SEC charged Loci and CEO John Wise with fraud for raising $7.6M on false claims about revenue, headcount, and user base; Wise also misused investor funds. Settled with a $7.6M penalty and an officer/director bar.
- Blockchain Terminal (BCT)Tokens
This page was last updated on Jun 8, 2026. View revision history.