In the US, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFT Commission) was conducting a trial of alleged crypto fraudsters. However, the crypto fraudsters were not ordinary crypto fraudsters but included a well-known individual and a popular company.
It was reported that a company called Circle Society and a person known as David Gilbert Saffron were facing a trial before CFT Commission. The matter was pending before the Commission on the allegations of operating crypto fraud schemes by both accused together.
CFT Commission, which is also a quasi-judicial authority, has recently penned down its judgment against the accused. In the decision, CFT Commission has granted monetary compensation to the victims to the tune of US$ 32 Million collectively. Both the accused have been asked to pay their proportionate shares of compensation to the victims.
Three types of compensations have been ordered against the accused by the CFT Commission. For instance, US$ 14,841,280 has been asked to be paid directly to defrauded victims. An amount of US$ 1,484,128 has been ordered to be paid by the accused as a penalty known as civil monetary. While US$ 15,815,967 has been ordered as disgorgement.
The Commission noted in the order that Saffron, as well as Circle Society, were both accused of launching a crypto fraud scheme. Through the scheme, both collected US$ 15 Million under the garb of investment from 179 victims. However, the funds obtained were evidently misappropriated and not utilized towards the intended purpose. The investors were deceived and their funds were embezzled by both the accused collectively, observed CFT Commission in the decision.
CFT Commission also noticed that the looted funds were kept by the accused with a Chinese crypto firm called Beosin. However, this firm is also currently facing charges of corruption and malpractices in China as well. In fact allegations of embezzling US$ 45 Million have been leveled against Beosin by Chinese authorities. But the Chinese local police were ordered to take action against Beosin and resultantly funds held by Beosin were taken into official custody.
The Chinese fraud firm Beosin as well as the accused namely Saffron and Circle Society defrauded people through Bitcoin trading. When Bitcoin value was increasing day after day, they tried to entice people so that they ask them to pay money. The accused acquired this money for the purposes of investing in Bitcoin. Instead, no Bitcoins were provided to the investors as promised and in fact, the money was systematically stolen from the beneficiaries.
The accused thereafter used the money for their own good and totally neglecting the people to whom the money actually belonged. However, with the indulgence of the CFT Commission, compensations have been ordered against the accused. The major loss caused upon US investors would be made good if the accused could arrange for the compensation.
