One of the main promoters of the Forcount cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in New York.
Juan Tacuri was at the forefront of a “Ponzi” scheme that embezzled $8.4 million from mostly Spanish-speaking investors around the world, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a June 5 statement. .
“Tacuri was one of the most successful promoters of this scheme and made millions of dollars through his participation in the fraud.”
The scheme was based on false promises that investors would receive profits from Forcount’s cryptocurrency trading and mining operations, including doubling their initial investment within the first six months.
“With this guilty plea, Juan Tacuri is charged with exploiting retail investors and selling them rigged investment opportunities,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
Takuri is scheduled to be sentenced on September 24, 2024 by Judge Annalisa Torres, who is familiar with matters related to the cryptocurrency industry.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Tacuri was indicted in December 2022, along with Francisley Da Silva and Antonia Perez Hernández, for their roles in the scheme from 2017 to 2021. The latter two were not found guilty or pleaded guilty.
Williams said Tacuri spent millions of dollars from victims’ funds on “luxury items and real estate.”
Part of the plea deal included Juan Tacuri forfeiting about $4 million and real estate purchased with victim funds.
Like many Ponzi promoters, Tacuri traveled across the United States to host lavish expos and community presentations aimed at enticing victims to invest in the Ponzi scheme.
He would boast about the money he made through the scheme, emphasizing the importance of achieving financial freedom, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
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Those who are convinced by Tacuri will join Forcount’s portal and watch their “profits” accumulate. However, many victims were unable to withdraw these “profits” and ultimately lost their entire investment.
The few who were able to withdraw also had to deal with excuses, delays and hidden fees, the U.S. Attorney’s Office added.
Forcount later began offering the cryptocurrency “Mindexcoin” as a means to inject more liquidity into the scheme.
Tacuri argued that the value of the coin would rise significantly once businesses began accepting it as a means of payment for goods and services.
But this was “false” and resulted in additional financial losses to the victims, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“This office will not stop pursuing Ponzi schemers like Tacuri,” Williams said. This is especially true when targeting full-time workers in financially difficult situations,” Williams concluded.
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