indictment

Forsage founders indicted over $340M DeFi ‘Ponzi scheme’

According to the Department of Justice, Forsage employed smart contracts that were coded in ways consistent with a Ponzi scheme.

The founders behind the alleged $340 million “global Ponzi” scheme Forsage have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Oregon.

The four Russian founders — Vladimir Okhotnikov, Olena Oblamska, Mikhail Sergeev and Sergey Maslakov — have been formally accused of having key roles in the scheme that raised approximately $340 million from victim-investors, according to a Feb. 22 Department of Justice (DOJ) statement.

“Today’s indictment is the result of a rigorous investigation that spent months piecing together the systematic theft of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon, adding:

“Bringing charges against foreign actors who used new technology to commit fraud in an emerging financial market is a complicated endeavor only possible with the full and complete coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies.”

Forsage had touted itself as a low-risk decentralized finance platform built on the Ethererum blockchain that allowed users to generate long-term passive income. Blockchain analytics however reportedly revealed that 80% of Forsage “investors” have received less back than they had put in.

According to the DOJ, analysis of the smart contracts revealed that funds raised as new investors purchased “slots” in Forsage’s smart contracts were diverted to older investors, which is consistent with a “Ponzi scheme.”

Forsage still has an active Twitter account, which posted a thread on Feb. 22 claiming that community members who participate in “The Ambassador Program” would be able to earn monthly rewards by completing certain tasks.

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Pre-registration will open soon, so don’t hesitate to be among the first!

The Ambassador Program is an opportunity not only to earn rewards, but also to attract new members to the team, get to know the products better and broaden your horizons in the world of Web3.

— FORSAGE (@forsageofficial) February 22, 2023

On Aug. 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged the four founders and seven promoters with fraud and selling unregistered securities, with acting chief of the SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, Carolyn Welshhans, saying at the time:

“Fraudsters cannot circumvent the federal securities laws by focusing their schemes on smart contracts and blockchains.”

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission had also flagged Forsage as a likely Ponzi back in 2020, but a month later the platform was still the second-most popular DApp on the Ethereum blockchain.

While a charge refers to the instance when a prosecutor brings criminal charges and accuses an individual or group of an offense, an indictment is filed by a grand jury if prosecutors are able to convince a majority of them that a formal accusation is warranted following an investigation.

Grand juries are common in federal and serious state felony offenses.

Charges laid over alleged ‘crypto mining’ Ponzis that netted $8.4M

Various creators and promotors of two allegedly fraudulent crypto companies are facing a litany of charges that could land them 20 years in jail.

United States prosecutors have laid charges in two separate cases against nine people who founded or promoted a pair of cryptocurrency companies alleged to be Ponzi schemes that netted $8.4 million from investors.

On Dec. 14 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment, alleging the purported crypto mining and trading companies IcomTech and Forcount promised investors “guaranteed daily returns” that could double their investment in six months.

In reality, prosecutors say both firms were using the money from later investors to pay earlier investors, while other funds were spent on promoting the companies and buying luxury items and real estate.

“Lavish expos” were held in the U.S. and abroad, along with presentations in small communities, that lured investors in with promises of financial freedom and wealth.

Promotors would allegedly show up at events in expensive cars, wearing luxury clothing and would boast about the money they were making from investing in the company they were promoting. Investors were given access to a “portal” to monitor their returns

IcomTech and Forcount started to fall apart when users were unable to withdraw their purported returns.

Charges brought against Forcount’s creators and promotors by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allege the outfit targeted primarily Spanish speakers and gathered over $8.4 million from “hundreds” of investors selling “memberships” offering a cut of its crypto trading and mining activities.

In an attempt to spin up liquidity both companies created tokens so they could try repay investors with IcomTech and Forcount launching “Icoms” and “Mindexcoin” respectively.

Seemingly the token sales failed as by 2021 both had stopped making payments to investors.

“With these two indictments, this Office is sending a message to all cryptocurrency scammers: We are coming for you,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “Stealing is stealing, even when dressed up in the jargon of cryptocurrency.”

David Carmona of Queens, New York was named in the indictment as the founder of IcomTech, and was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years prison.

Forcount’s founder was named as Francisley da Silva, from Curitiba, Brazil and faces charges of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy which carries a maximum of 60 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The promotors for the firms face various charges relating to wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and making false statements.