Mark Karpelès
CEO of the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange at its 2014 collapse. A Japanese court convicted him of falsifying data but acquitted him of embezzlement relating to the missing bitcoins.
Also known as: Mark Karpeles
Bio
Mark Karpelès was CEO of Mt. Gox, once the dominant Bitcoin exchange, when it filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after about 850,000 BTC went missing. [1][2]
Legal outcome
Karpelès was arrested in Japan in 2015. In 2019 a Japanese court found him guilty of falsifying data but acquitted him of embezzlement related to the missing bitcoins. [1][2]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Sources (2)
- Mt. Gox (overview) — Wikipedia
- Mt. Gox Explained: History, 2014 Collapse, and Current Status — Investopedia
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.