Faruk Fatih Özer
Founder and CEO of the Turkish exchange Thodex, which halted withdrawals in April 2021 as he fled abroad. Sentenced in 2023 to 11,196 years; reported to have died in prison in November 2025.
Also known as: Faruk Fatih Ozer
Bio
Faruk Fatih Özer founded and led the Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, one of the country's largest before it abruptly stopped withdrawals in April 2021 and Özer left the country. [1][2]
Legal outcome
He was arrested in Albania, extradited, and in September 2023 sentenced — with two siblings — to 11,196 years in prison for fraud, money laundering, and leading a criminal organization. [1][2] He was reported to have been found dead in his prison cell in November 2025. [3]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Sources (3)
See also
Luke BelmarIndividualsCryptocurrency influencer Luke Belmar (@lukebelmar on X) became the subject of controversy following allegations related to the promotion of a memecoin. Critics on social media alleged that Belmar used a series of posts referencing a forthcoming cryptocurrency project and a large-scale airdrop to generate interest in a token without explicitly identifying a specific contract address. Belmar published multiple posts discussing an upcoming memecoin, describing plans for what he characterized as a major airdrop and making comparisons to other cryptocurrency projects. Because no contract address was publicly provided, several tokens emerged claiming association with his statements. Critics alleged that this ambiguity enabled speculation around multiple tokens while avoiding a direct endorsement of any particular asset.
- Donald BasileIndividualsFounder behind Bitcoin Latinum (LTNM). The SEC charged him in 2026 with defrauding investors of ~$16M by falsely claiming the token was insured and asset-backed, and misappropriating funds for personal use (including a $160,000 horse).
This page was last updated on Jun 15, 2026. View revision history.