Manpreet Singh Kohli
A former Saitama executive (alias 'Mkay Saitama') charged by the SEC and DOJ in October 2024 over the manipulation of the Saitama Inu and SaitaRealty tokens. A UK/India resident, he has been fighting U.S. extradition.
Also known as: Mkay Saitama, mannythehitman
Note: Kohli is charged (SEC civil and DOJ criminal) and is contesting extradition; the allegations have not been adjudicated.
Bio
Manpreet Singh Kohli (alias "Mkay Saitama"/"mannythehitman") was a senior figure (described in reporting as a CFO/CEO) of the Saitama crypto project. The SEC alleges he and co-defendants Russell Armand, Maxwell Hernandez, and Nam Tran offered Saitama Inu and SaitaRealty as unregistered securities and manipulated their markets, including by hiring market makers Gotbit and ZM Quant. [1][2]
Status
Charged by the SEC (D. Mass., Oct. 2024) and indicted criminally (conspiracy to commit market manipulation, unlicensed money transmitting, and wire fraud). Based in the UK/India, Kohli has been fighting extradition to the United States. [1][2]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Linked scams & cases
Sources (2)
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.
HEX / PulseChain (Richard Heart)ProjectsCrypto projects (HEX, PulseChain, PulseX) created by Richard Heart (Richard Schueler). In July 2023 the U.S. SEC sued him for offering unregistered securities that raised $1B+ and for allegedly misappropriating ~$12M for luxury goods (including a 555-carat diamond). A court dismissed the case in 2024 for lack of U.S. jurisdiction; there was no finding of wrongdoing and Heart denies the allegations.
This page was last updated on Jun 15, 2026. View revision history.
