In a landmark verdict, Pablo Renato Rodriguez, the co-founder of AirBit Membership, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail by US District Choose George B. Daniels. 

In accordance to the US Division of Justice (DOJ), Rodriguez, alongside along with his co-conspirators, masterminded a sprawling international pyramid scheme that defrauded traders of tens of millions of {dollars} by way of false guarantees of cryptocurrency buying and selling and mining earnings.

AirBit Co-Founder Convicted For $100 Million Crypto Fraud

Per the DOJ’s investigations, the flowery scheme concerned luring unsuspecting and sometimes inexperienced traders into buying AirBit Membership memberships with the assure of considerable returns. 

Nonetheless, as a substitute of partaking in legit cryptocurrency actions, Rodriguez and his cohorts allegedly diverted the funds for private achieve whereas using an intricate cash laundering operation to hide their ill-gotten earnings.

Rodriguez’s co-defendants, Gutemberg Dos Santos, Scott Hughes, Cecilia Millan, and Karina Chairez, have already pleaded responsible and await sentencing. The courtroom has additionally ordered the forfeiture of the fraudulent proceeds, which embrace a staggering $100 million value of belongings, resembling US forex, Bitcoin (BTC), and actual property.

Describing Rodriguez’s actions as a flagrant exploitation of cryptocurrency for fraudulent functions, US Legal professional Damian Williams emphasised the significance of this case in deterring potential fraudsters from making false guarantees of profitable cryptocurrency investments.

Troubling Sample Of Fraudulent Ventures

In accordance with courtroom paperwork, Rodriguez and Dos Santos based AirBit Membership in 2015 and “aggressively” marketed it as a multilevel advertising and marketing membership working within the cryptocurrency business. 

The duo reportedly organized extravagant expos and displays worldwide, attractive victims to spend money on money and offering them entry to a web based portal showcasing false funding returns. 

As early as 2016, victims who tried to withdraw funds encountered excuses, delays, and exorbitant hidden charges. The scheme’s architects, together with Rodriguez, spent the defrauded cash on luxurious objects, financed extra expos to draw extra victims, and siphoned funds by way of a community of home and overseas financial institution accounts. 

In accordance with the DOJ, Rodriguez’s lawyer belief account, managed by Scott Hughes, performed an important function in concealing the illicit proceeds of the AirBit Membership scheme.

Earlier than AirBit Membership, Rodriguez and Dos Santos have been concerned in one other pyramid funding scheme known as Vizinova, which led to a authorized battle with the US Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC). 

Hughes, an lawyer representing Rodriguez and Dos Santos within the Vizinova case, later assisted them in perpetrating the AirBit Membership fraud by eradicating unfavourable details about each schemes from the web.

With Rodriguez’s sentencing, justice has been served to one of many key figures liable for defrauding numerous victims by way of AirBit Membership.

Featured picture from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com