Swedish Scammer Jailed 15 Years For A $16 Million Crypto Scam

A Swedish scammer named Roger Nils-Jonas Karlsson got jailed for 15 years for conducting a $16 million crypto scam as we read more in our latest cryptocurrency news today.

The Swedish Scammer encouraged investors to use crypto and invest in a fraudulent program. He later admitted to the charges in March and was jailed a day ago for 15 years. Karlsson was jailed for 15 years for scamming people into a $16 million crypto scam as the US Department of Justice said. Roger Nils-Jonas Karlsson who is 47, pleaded guilty to securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering charges. He bought fancy homes, a racehorse, and a resort in Thailand after investors plugged cash into the scheme dubbed Eastern Metal Securities.

The scam lured people to purchase shares in a fraudulent online investment program using crypto like BTC as the DoJ said. Karlsson promised huge returns and asked for funds to be sent via the US biggest crypto exchange Coinbase which was a way of laundering the cash. Karlsson was busted in 2019 after about 3000 people fell for the scam. He admitted to the charges earlier this year and was extradited to the US from Thailand. The IRS-CI Special agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson said:

“We were glad to provide our expertise in tracing virtual currency in this investigation, diminishing the belief of anonymity associated with these transactions.”

Karlsson’s scheme was to prey on insecure investors and cause major financial hardship for most of them as the DOJ said. He was ordered to forfeit a Thai resort and various other properties and accounts as a part of his sentence while the courts are expected to launch a new restitution order in 90 days.

As recently reported, The US Secret Service protects the US political figures and conducts criminal investigations, released a list of Most Wanted fugitives and it contains a few individuals who used the digital currencies for their crimes. A 36-year old citizen of Costa Rica named Allan Garcia is wanted for managing the daily operations of Liberty Reserve which is a company that operated in digital currency. Another man from Russia named Danil Potekhin was also on the list. Between 2017 and 2018 Potekhin and his colleague, Dmitrii Karasavidi launched a new phishing campaign that targeted users of several digital currency exchanges and according to the Secret Service, both of them were able to withdraw some of the holdings and manipulate the digital currency markets.