Key Takeaways:
- Juan Tacuri, a key promoter of the Forcount Ponzi scheme, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $3.6 million in restitution.
- The Ponzi scheme defrauded investors worldwide of $8.4 million, targeting primarily Spanish-speaking communities.
- The Forcount scheme falsely claimed involvement in crypto mining and trading, using investor funds for luxury goods and real estate.
Juan Tacuri, a key promoter of the Forcount Ponzi scheme, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding investors of $8.4 million.
U.S. prosecutors revealed that Tacuri, along with co-conspirators, targeted victims worldwide, especially Spanish-speaking communities, through false claims of cryptocurrency investments.
Update: Four months after his guilty plea, Juan Tacuri has been sentenced to 240 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $3,610,718.67 and title to a home in Florida he purchased in part with Forcount Victim funds. Crypto Criminals: https://t.co/ExLjXQJArQ https://t.co/xwFIZSiveC
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) October 16, 2024
The scheme, later rebranded as Weltsys, promised high returns from fake crypto mining and trading operations.
Investors were lured with promises of doubling their money in six months, but their funds were instead used to finance the organizers’ lavish lifestyles.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 Florida man and Forcount Ponzi Scheme promoter Juan Tacuri sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding thousands of victims through false promises of guaranteed crypto profits pic.twitter.com/nmjakWwRK7
— BlockNews.com (@blocknewsdotcom) October 16, 2024
Despite investor complaints starting in 2018, the scheme persisted until 2021, when Forcount stopped responding to customers.
Tacuri pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in June 2024.
Two other Forcount promoters also admitted guilt.
Alongside the prison sentence, Tacuri was ordered to pay $3.6 million in restitution and will serve an additional year of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams emphasized that the case shows fraud does not pay, highlighting the severity of Tacuri’s actions.
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