Mark Scott, the lawyer who laundered $400 million for the OneCoin crypto rip-off, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was convicted of two counts associated to financial institution fraud and cash laundering in 2019.
The sentencing of Scott by Decide Edgardo Ramos of the US District Court docket for the Southern District of New York got here yesterday (Thursday) after it was pushed a number of occasions. The prosecutors sought a harsher sentencing of 17 years, whereas the protection attorneys tried to carry it down to 5.
Scott was one of many first high-profile people related to OneCoin, thought of one of many largest crypto scams, to face the authorized path. He was a mastermind behind laundering a staggering quantity utilizing a number of accounts to funnel them by way of the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to the United Arab Emirates. In response to the prosecutors, he made $50 million from laundering OneCoin proceeds.
On the time of the trial, Scott stated he didn’t know that OneCoin was fraudulent. He additionally expressed sympathy in the direction of OneCoin victims earlier than his sentencing.
Scott: I’ve sympathy for OneCoin’s victims .
Decide Ramos: I sentence you to 10 years— Internal Metropolis Press (@innercitypress) January 25, 2024
The Largest Crypto Fraud
OneCoin dupped victims across the globe for over $4 billion. Based mostly in Bulgaria, it operated as a multi-level advertising and marketing scheme, defrauding victims even within the remotest Pacific islands. In response to obtainable data, the scheme generated €4.037 billion in gross sales income between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2016, incomes €2.735 billion in earnings.
Other than Scott, the US prosecutors additionally took motion towards just a few different prime people related to the fraudulent scheme. Final 12 months, OneCoin’s co-founder, Karl Greenwood, was sentenced to twenty years in jail following his responsible plea for wire fraud. The former Compliance Head of OneCoin, Irina Dilkinska, additionally pled responsible to the fees of wire fraud and cash laundering.
In the meantime, OneCoin’s mastermind, Ruja Igantova, aka ‘Cryptoqueen’, remains to be at massive. She disappeared from public view in October 2017 after reaching Greece on a industrial flight from Bulgaria. Her title is now on the FBI’s prime ten “Most Wished” individual checklist, with a reward of $100,000 for any info resulting in her arrest. As well as, she is on the checklist of Europe’s most wished fugitives.
Forward of the latest sentencing, Scott’s attorneys additionally appealed for a brand new trial, claiming that false testimony by citing false testimony supplied by a authorities witness, Konstantin Ignatov. Nonetheless, the request was denied. Ignatov is the brother of Ignatova. He pleaded responsible to his function at OneCoin and is now cooperating with the prosecutors.
Mark Scott, the lawyer who laundered $400 million for the OneCoin crypto rip-off, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was convicted of two counts associated to financial institution fraud and cash laundering in 2019.
The sentencing of Scott by Decide Edgardo Ramos of the US District Court docket for the Southern District of New York got here yesterday (Thursday) after it was pushed a number of occasions. The prosecutors sought a harsher sentencing of 17 years, whereas the protection attorneys tried to carry it down to 5.
Scott was one of many first high-profile people related to OneCoin, thought of one of many largest crypto scams, to face the authorized path. He was a mastermind behind laundering a staggering quantity utilizing a number of accounts to funnel them by way of the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to the United Arab Emirates. In response to the prosecutors, he made $50 million from laundering OneCoin proceeds.
On the time of the trial, Scott stated he didn’t know that OneCoin was fraudulent. He additionally expressed sympathy in the direction of OneCoin victims earlier than his sentencing.
Scott: I’ve sympathy for OneCoin’s victims .
Decide Ramos: I sentence you to 10 years— Internal Metropolis Press (@innercitypress) January 25, 2024
The Largest Crypto Fraud
OneCoin dupped victims across the globe for over $4 billion. Based mostly in Bulgaria, it operated as a multi-level advertising and marketing scheme, defrauding victims even within the remotest Pacific islands. In response to obtainable data, the scheme generated €4.037 billion in gross sales income between the fourth quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2016, incomes €2.735 billion in earnings.
Other than Scott, the US prosecutors additionally took motion towards just a few different prime people related to the fraudulent scheme. Final 12 months, OneCoin’s co-founder, Karl Greenwood, was sentenced to twenty years in jail following his responsible plea for wire fraud. The former Compliance Head of OneCoin, Irina Dilkinska, additionally pled responsible to the fees of wire fraud and cash laundering.
In the meantime, OneCoin’s mastermind, Ruja Igantova, aka ‘Cryptoqueen’, remains to be at massive. She disappeared from public view in October 2017 after reaching Greece on a industrial flight from Bulgaria. Her title is now on the FBI’s prime ten “Most Wished” individual checklist, with a reward of $100,000 for any info resulting in her arrest. As well as, she is on the checklist of Europe’s most wished fugitives.
Forward of the latest sentencing, Scott’s attorneys additionally appealed for a brand new trial, claiming that false testimony by citing false testimony supplied by a authorities witness, Konstantin Ignatov. Nonetheless, the request was denied. Ignatov is the brother of Ignatova. He pleaded responsible to his function at OneCoin and is now cooperating with the prosecutors.
