A German man, Horst Jicha, is now a fugitive after skipping a $150 million cryptocurrency fraud listening to in New York.
Jicha, 64, was below home arrest and out on a $5 million bond, however authorities suspect he tampered together with his ankle monitor and disappeared earlier this month, in response to CNBC.
His trial was scheduled for March 31, the place he confronted a number of prices associated to overseeing a crypto scheme that defrauded traders by means of USI Tech, a multi-level advertising platform.
Jicha’s case revolves round USI Tech, a platform that claimed to supply cryptocurrency investments with assured excessive returns. In accordance with prosecutors, USI Tech was a pyramid scheme disguised as a respectable crypto funding operation.
Jicha: 140% returns in 140 days
Traders had been informed they might earn 140% returns in 140 days by means of bitcoin mining, buying and selling, and referring others to take a position, in response to CNBC. In actuality, the platform collapsed, leaving traders with losses whereas Jicha allegedly pocketed thousands and thousands.
USI Tech ceased operations within the U.S. in early 2018 after regulators started investigating the corporate. The rip-off reportedly left traders unable to withdraw funds, with a lot of the stolen cash held in ether and bitcoin addresses managed by Jicha.
After fleeing, CNBC reviews that Jicha’s $5 million bond, assured by his accomplice, youngsters, and associates in Germany, has been forfeited.
Prosecutors are actively working to find Jicha, however as of now, his whereabouts stay unknown. Jicha had lived in varied international locations, together with Brazil and Spain, earlier than being arrested in Florida final yr. He was launched on bond in January 2024, with strict situations limiting his actions, however now faces an unsure destiny as authorities proceed their search.
