116 entries tagged “individual”.
Founder 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).
A promoter (and SEC recidivist) who sold Green United's 'Green Boxes,' allegedly acting as an unregistered broker and misrepresenting GREEN's value and returns. Charged by the SEC for fraud and registration violations.
Founder and CEO of Loci, which ran the LOCIcoin ICO. The SEC charged him with fraud for false claims about Loci's revenue, staff, and user base (raising $7.6M) and for misusing $38K of investor funds; he settled with an officer/director bar.
A New Jersey associate of Boaz Manor whom the SEC said acted as a 'front' presented as the owner of the Blockchain Terminal businesses to conceal Manor's control. Charged civilly by the SEC and criminally in 2020.
A previously convicted Canadian ex-hedge-fund manager who, per the SEC and DOJ, secretly ran the $30M Blockchain Terminal ICO under the alias 'Shaun MacDonald' to hide his criminal past. Charged civilly and criminally in 2020.
Australian founder of Crowd Machine and Metavine who the SEC said ran a fraudulent CMCT ICO (~$33M) and secretly diverted $5.8M to South African gold mining. He consented to antifraud judgments, a $195K penalty, and an officer/director bar.
A large-scale promoter of the $722M BitClub Network crypto-mining Ponzi. He pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiring to sell unregistered securities and to filing a false tax return (unreported BitClub crypto income).
Former CFO of the crypto lender Cred. He pleaded guilty in 2025 to wire-fraud conspiracy over Cred's misleading marketing and was sentenced to 36 months in prison.
A Meta 1 Coin promoter (and Robert Dunlap's partner) charged by the SEC in 2020 over the fraudulent, falsely gold/art-backed coin offering.
A former Washington state senator who helped market the Meta 1 Coin, telling investors it was secured by $2B in gold under audit. The SEC charged him in 2020 and a court jailed him for civil contempt for defying its orders.
Son of Joy Kovar and a 'recidivist' co-operator of Profit Connect, who promoted its fake 'AI supercomputer.' Charged civilly by the SEC in 2021 and later indicted on federal fraud and money-laundering charges in 2025.
Founder and president of Profit Connect, which the SEC called a $12M+ Ponzi scheme built on a fictitious 'AI supercomputer.' The SEC said she moved millions of investor dollars to her personal accounts.
Co-founder of Dropil and its fraudulent DROP-token ICO. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 2021 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Co-founder of Dropil, which ran a fraudulent DROP-token ICO around a fake 'Dex' trading bot. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 2021 and was sentenced to 36 months; he also gave false testimony and manufactured fake evidence during the SEC probe.
Co-founder and CEO of the Coinseed crypto app. The SEC and NY AG said he sold unregistered CSD tokens, faked his management credentials, and traded customers' funds without permission; a NY court entered a $3M judgment and shut the platform down in 2021.
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.
Founder and CEO of Shopin. He pleaded guilty to felony securities fraud (NY Martin Act) over Shopin's ~$42.5M ICO — built on fake retailer partnerships and a nonexistent product — and also admitted fraud tied to two earlier companies; he settled parallel SEC charges.
Founder of Veritaseum and its VERI token. The SEC alleged he ran a fraudulent ICO and manipulated VERI's price; he settled in 2019 for ~$9.5M and a permanent bar from digital-securities offerings, without admitting or denying the allegations.
Former chief revenue officer and top lawyer of Celsius Network. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to four counts including manipulating the price of Celsius's CEL token, cooperated against CEO Alex Mashinsky, and was sentenced in 2026 to time served.
Chief technology officer of SafeMoon. He pleaded guilty in February 2025 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud over the scheme that misappropriated investor funds from the SafeMoon token's 'locked' liquidity; he is awaiting sentencing.
Founder of the Miami crypto project CluCoin (alias 'DNPthree'). A military veteran, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud after siphoning ~$1.14M of investor funds into online casinos, and was sentenced in 2025 to 27 months in prison.
Co-founder of Centra Tech, whom the SEC called a 'mastermind' of its fraudulent 2017 ICO. He pleaded guilty but, citing 'extraordinary' cooperation, was sentenced in 2022 to time served (no prison) and ~$2.9M restitution.
Co-founder of Centra Tech, the 2017 ICO that raised ~$25–32M on fake executives and fabricated partnerships with Visa/Mastercard. He pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracies and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
The pseudonymous Wonderland treasury manager '0xSifu', revealed by ZachXBT in 2022 to be Michael Patryn — co-founder of the collapsed QuadrigaCX exchange and a prior convicted fraudster who had used the name Omar Dhanani.
French national who created the 'Mutant Ape Planet' NFT collection — a knockoff of Mutant Ape Yacht Club — and rug-pulled buyers after raising ~$2.9M. He pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy in 2023; in 2024 he was sentenced to time served plus a $15K fine and $1.4M forfeiture.
Co-creator (alias 'heyandre') of the Frosties NFT project, charged by the DOJ in March 2022 in its first NFT 'rug pull' case over the ~$1.1M scheme.
Co-creator (alias 'Frostie') of the Frosties NFT project, which the DOJ charged in March 2022 as its first NFT 'rug pull' case — abandoning the project hours after a ~$1.1M sellout and moving the funds to obfuscate their source.
Russian founder and CEO of crypto market maker Gotbit. He pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud for running wash-trading services that faked token trading volume; sentenced to eight months (time served), with Gotbit forfeiting $23M.
Former head of engineering at FTX, who wrote code that allowed Alameda Research to draw on customer funds. He pleaded guilty to five charges, cooperated against Sam Bankman-Fried, and was sentenced in 2024 to time served.
Co-founder and CTO of FTX, who wrote code that secretly let Alameda Research draw on FTX customer funds. He pleaded guilty, cooperated against Sam Bankman-Fried, and was sentenced in 2024 to time served.
Co-founder of Bitqyck (Bitqy / BitqyM tokens). He settled SEC fraud charges in 2019 and was sentenced in 2022 to 50 months in prison for tax evasion tied to misappropriated investor funds.
Co-founder of Bitqyck, which sold the Bitqy and BitqyM tokens. The SEC said the firm raised ~$24M from 13,000+ investors via false claims; Bise settled SEC fraud charges (2019) and was sentenced in 2022 to 50 months for tax evasion.
Quebec promoter behind the PlexCoin/PlexCorps ICO, which the SEC said raised up to $15M by promising a 1,354% return in under a month. The SEC obtained a ~$7M judgment (2019); a Quebec court sentenced him in 2024 to 42 months in prison.
The Brooklyn entrepreneur behind the RECoin and Diamond Reserve Club ICOs. His was the first criminal case to test whether ICO tokens are securities; he pleaded guilty to securities-fraud conspiracy and was sentenced in 2019 to 18 months in prison.
Co-founder of the ~$100M AirBit Club crypto pyramid scheme. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2023 to 40 months in prison, with forfeiture of assets.
Founder of Bitcoin Savings and Trust, who operated under the handle 'pirateat40' and ran what the DOJ called the first federal criminal securities-fraud case involving Bitcoin. He pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced in 2016 to 18 months in prison.
An entrepreneur and rapper known as 'Razzlekhan' who helped her husband Ilya Lichtenstein launder bitcoin stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex hack. She pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced in November 2024 to 18 months in prison.
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.
A Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur and prominent X (Twitter) Spaces host, founder of International Blockchain Consulting (IBC) and the appliance retailer Froothie. He has faced repeated, widely circulated allegations of financial misconduct, which he denies. Per the public record he has not been charged with or convicted of any crime.
Founder of Opporty, whose OPP-token ICO the SEC charged as fraudulent — falsely claiming it was 'SEC compliant/registered' and exaggerating the platform's users. A 2025 final judgment ordered a $100K penalty and barred him from securities offerings.
Sole owner of Control-Finance Ltd, a UK-based Bitcoin 'trading' operation the CFTC called a fraud. He solicited ~22,858 BTC (~$147M) in 2017 promising guaranteed profits, made no trades, and misappropriated the funds. A 2021 default judgment ordered $143M restitution + $429M in penalties.
Founder and CEO of USFIA, which sold the gemstone-'backed' GemCoin. He fraudulently obtained ~$147M from 72,000 investors in one of the largest pyramid schemes prosecuted in the Central District of California; pleaded guilty and sentenced in 2021 to 10 years.
Founder of Green United, which the SEC says raised ~$18M on a fake 'GREEN' mining story. He pre-minted GREEN as an ERC-20 token and sold 'Green Boxes' that actually mined Bitcoin kept by the company. Charged by the SEC for fraud and registration violations.
Co-CEO of FTX's Bahamian subsidiary (FTX Digital Markets) and a top lieutenant of Sam Bankman-Fried. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to campaign-finance and unlicensed-money-transmitting conspiracies and was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
Co-creator of Ormeus Coin (JonAtina Barksdale) who led production of the promotional materials behind the $124M fraud. The SEC won a default judgment ordering disgorgement and a ~$23.1M civil penalty.
Co-creator of Ormeus Coin who led worldwide roadshows promoting it with false claims of a $250M mining operation. The SEC won a default judgment over the $124M fraud, and the DOJ brought parallel criminal securities-fraud charges.
A large-scale promoter of BitClub Network, the $722M crypto-mining Ponzi. He pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiring to sell unregistered securities and to tax evasion (failing to report $10M+ in income).
Co-founder and CEO of the crypto lender Cred. He pleaded guilty in 2025 to wire-fraud conspiracy for misleading customers about Cred's collateralization, hedging, and insurance, and was sentenced to 52 months in prison.
A lead operator of the Meta 1 Coin fraud, which falsely claimed gold/art backing and risk-free returns. Jailed for civil contempt during the SEC case, he was later convicted of mail fraud and sentenced in 2026 to 23 years in prison.
OneCoin's former head of legal and compliance. Rather than ensure compliance, she helped launder the scheme's proceeds — including ~$110M routed to the Cayman Islands with Mark Scott. She pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced in 2024 to four years and $111.4M forfeiture.
A top U.S. promoter of HyperFund (aka 'Bitcoin Beautee'). The DOJ said she earned over $3.7M from the ~$1.89B pyramid scheme; she pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud and settled parallel SEC charges.
Co-founder of Terraform Labs (with Do Kwon) and founder of the Chai payments platform. South Korean prosecutors indicted him in 2023 over the Terra/LUNA collapse (fraud, embezzlement, Capital Markets Act violations); he denies wrongdoing and his trial remains ongoing.
A former U.S. attorney (Locke Lord partner) who, per a jury, laundered roughly $400M of OneCoin proceeds through a sham investment-fund structure. Convicted in 2019 of money-laundering and bank-fraud conspiracies; sentenced in 2024 to 10 years and $392.9M forfeiture.
Brother of OneCoin's vanished 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova, who took over leadership of the ~$4B OneCoin scheme. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to fraud and money laundering, cooperated extensively with U.S. prosecutors, and in 2024 was sentenced to time served.
Brazilian national whom the SEC and DOJ identify as the creator of Forcount Trader Systems, the ~$8.4M crypto Ponzi/pyramid scheme. Charged civilly and criminally in 2022.
A senior promoter of the Forcount (Weltsys) crypto Ponzi scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy and, in October 2024, received the 20-year statutory maximum sentence plus ~$3.6M restitution.
Founder of CryptoFX, a Houston-based $300M Ponzi scheme that targeted Latino investors. The SEC says he used most investor funds for fake returns and personal spending; he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to prison.
Founder/creator of SafeMoon. Charged by the SEC and DOJ in 2023 over the SafeMoon scheme; per the DOJ he remains at large while co-defendants Braden Karony (convicted) and Thomas Smith (pleaded guilty) faced sentencing.
Co-founder and CTO of Samourai Wallet. He pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and was sentenced to four years in prison; the judge cited his age and an autism diagnosis as mitigating factors.
Co-founder and CEO of Samourai Wallet. He pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and was sentenced to five years in prison; prosecutors cited messages calling mixing 'money laundering for Bitcoin.'
Co-founder of Three Arrows Capital (3AC), the crypto hedge fund whose 2022 collapse left ~$3.5B in creditor claims. Singapore's MAS banned him for nine years and a court sentenced him to four months for failing to cooperate with liquidators; his whereabouts have been reported as unknown.
Co-founder of the Singapore crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), which collapsed in 2022 owing creditors ~$3.5B. Singapore's MAS banned him for nine years; he was jailed four months in 2023 for failing to cooperate with liquidators and arrested at Changi Airport.
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.
Co-founder and CEO of the collapsed crypto lender Voyager Digital. In 2023 the CFTC and FTC sued him for fraud — alleging he falsely marketed Voyager as a 'safe haven' with FDIC-insured deposits. He settled in 2025 (civil), accepting bans and payments.
BitConnect's lead U.S. promoter ('national promoter'). He pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud — admitting he earned at least $24M — and was sentenced in 2022 to 38 months in prison.
A member of the 'SE Enterprise' crew tied to ~$250M in crypto thefts including the $243M Genesis-creditor heist. He pleaded guilty to a RICO conspiracy charge and, per reporting, faces up to 11 years in prison.
A member of the 'SE Enterprise' social-engineering crew (online alias 'GothFerrari') behind ~$250M in crypto thefts (2023–2025), including the $243M Genesis-creditor heist. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2026 to 78 months in prison.
Former CEO of the collapsed Singapore crypto lender Hodlnaut. In May 2026 Singapore charged him with six counts of fraud by false representation, alleging he directed false statements that the firm had no TerraUSD exposure. He disputes the charges.
Russian national (formerly Aleksandr Ntifo-Siaw), co-founder and chief commercial officer of Garantex. Charged by the U.S. DOJ in March 2025 with money-laundering conspiracy over the exchange's role in laundering criminal proceeds.
Lithuanian national and Russian resident named by the U.S. DOJ as Garantex's primary technical administrator. Charged in March 2025 with money-laundering, sanctions, and unlicensed-money-transmitting conspiracies; arrested in India.
Dual Russian-Israeli national whom U.S. prosecutors identify as the first person to exploit the Nomad bridge in August 2022 (taking ~$2.89M and triggering the ~$190M free-for-all). Indicted in 2023; arrested in Israel in May 2025 while fleeing under a new name, and approved for extradition.
CEO of Kelsier Ventures and the figure on-chain analysts and reporting place at the center of a cluster of 2025 memecoin launches — $LIBRA (Argentina), $MELANIA, and $WOLF among them. Wallets tied to him netted $100M+; Argentine prosecutors sought an Interpol Red Notice. He denies wrongdoing.
Former CEO of Alameda Research and the prosecution's star witness against Sam Bankman-Fried. She pleaded guilty to seven counts and was sentenced in September 2024 to two years in prison.
The self-styled 'head trader' of the EmpiresX crypto Ponzi scheme, who was touted as a licensed trader despite a prior NFA bar. He pleaded guilty to securities-fraud conspiracy and was sentenced to 51 months in prison.
Australian founder of the Virgil Sigma and VQR crypto hedge funds. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud after draining a fund that claimed ~$90M, and was sentenced in 2021 to 7.5 years in prison and $54.8M forfeiture.
Close associate of Guo Wengui (known as 'Yvette'). For her role in the >$1B fraud she was sentenced to 120 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $1.4 billion.
Founder and CEO of NAC Foundation, the company behind 'AML Bitcoin.' A jury convicted him of wire fraud and money laundering in 2025 over a ~$10M scheme; he was sentenced to 84 months (seven years) in prison.
Founder and CEO of Titanium Blockchain Infrastructure Services (TBIS), whose BAR token ICO raised ~$21M. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was sentenced in 2023 to 51 months in prison.
Founder and CEO of AriseBank, marketed as the world's 'first decentralized bank.' He pleaded guilty to securities fraud over the AriseCoin ICO and was sentenced in 2021 to five years in prison plus ~$4.26M in restitution.
Identified by U.S. prosecutors as the operational leader of Forsage, a 'DeFi' platform they call a ~$340M Ponzi and pyramid scheme. He was indicted in the U.S. in 2023 (charges pending) and, per reporting, was convicted in absentia in Georgia in 2024.
Founder of PGI (Praetorian Group International), which raised $201M+ as a Bitcoin Ponzi/MLM scheme (2020–2021). He pleaded guilty in 2025 to wire fraud and money laundering and was sentenced in February 2026 to 20 years in prison.
Estonian co-founder of HashFlare, a cloud-mining service the DOJ called a $577M Ponzi scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy in 2025 and was sentenced to time served (16 months).
Estonian co-founder of HashFlare, a cloud-mining service the DOJ called a $577M Ponzi scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy in 2025 and was sentenced to time served (16 months), forfeiting hundreds of millions for victims.
Co-founder of AirBit Club, a ~$100M global cryptocurrency pyramid scheme. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2023 to 12 years in prison, with a $65M forfeiture.
Founder of IcomTech, a purported crypto mining and trading company that the DOJ called a Ponzi scheme. He was convicted of wire-fraud conspiracy and sentenced in 2024 to 121 months (about 10 years) in prison.
The hacker who breached Bitfinex in 2016 and fraudulently transferred 119,754 BTC. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to a money-laundering conspiracy and admitted carrying out the hack; he was sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison.
Founder of My Big Coin, a virtual currency he falsely marketed as gold-backed and partnered with MasterCard. A jury convicted him in 2022 of wire fraud and related counts; he was sentenced in 2023 to 100 months in prison and ~$7.6M in restitution and forfeiture.
Founder of GAW Miners and ZenMiner, which sold 'hashlets' and the PayCoin token. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud over a ~$9.18M virtual-currency Ponzi scheme and was sentenced in 2018 to 21 months in prison and over $9M in restitution.
The trader behind the October 2022 ~$110M Mango Markets exploit, which he called a 'highly profitable trading strategy.' A jury convicted him of fraud and market manipulation in 2024, but a federal judge vacated those convictions in May 2025; prosecutors appealed.
Co-founder of Mining Capital Coin. The SEC charged him alongside Luiz Capuci Jr. over MCC's allegedly fraudulent mining-package sales and obtained a default judgment of roughly $46M against the pair in 2025.
Founder and CEO of Mining Capital Coin (MCC). The U.S. DOJ indicted him in 2022 for an alleged $62M global crypto investment fraud built on 'Mining Packages' and 'Trading Bots'; the SEC won a default judgment against him in a parallel civil case.
Russian national and founder/majority owner of the crypto exchange Bitzlato. Pleaded guilty in December 2023 to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business that processed $700M+ in illicit funds; sentenced in July 2024 to time served.
A Russian national who U.S. prosecutors say was an operator of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange. He pleaded guilty in 2024 to a money-laundering conspiracy; the DOJ said BTC-e handled over $9 billion and that he was responsible for at least $121 million in losses.
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.
Co-founder of Centra Tech, the 2017 ICO that the SEC says raised over $32M on fabricated partnerships. Pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Identified by ZachXBT (alias 'Wiz') as a participant in the August 2024 ~$243M Genesis creditor theft; reporting indicates he was among those later charged.
Named in a U.S. DOJ indictment (identified by ZachXBT as 'Box') over the August 2024 ~$243M social-engineering theft from a Genesis creditor.
Identified by ZachXBT (alias 'Greavys') and named in a U.S. DOJ indictment in connection with the August 2024 ~$243M social-engineering theft from a Genesis creditor.
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.
Founder and CEO of the Canadian exchange QuadrigaCX. An Ontario Securities Commission review concluded he ran it like a Ponzi scheme. He was reported to have died in December 2018.
