Rodney Burton
A Miami-based promoter of HyperFund. The DOJ charged him in 2024 with conspiracy to operate, and operating, an unlicensed money-transmitting business in connection with the ~$1.89B HyperFund scheme.
Also known as: Rodney Burton, Bitcoin Rodney
Note: Burton was charged by the DOJ; the allegations have not been adjudicated.
Bio
Rodney Burton, of Miami, promoted HyperFund (also known as HyperVerse/HyperNation), the crypto "membership" scheme the DOJ valued at about $1.89 billion. [1]
Status
In January 2024, the DOJ charged Burton with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and one count of operating such a business, tied to moving HyperFund funds. [1]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Sources (1)
- HyperFund and Associated Cases (DOJ) — U.S. DOJ
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.
Evolved Apes (NFT)ProjectsAn NFT collection launched on OpenSea in September 2021 that promised a fighting game. About a week later its anonymous developer 'Evil Ape' vanished with 798 ETH (~$2.7M). In June 2024 U.S. prosecutors charged three U.K. nationals over the scheme.
This page was last updated on Jun 15, 2026. View revision history.