A U.S. court fines nearly $210 million for a Ponzi scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency and carbon investment project
ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reported on Tuesday that Judge Mary Rowland of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has ordered Oregon resident Sam Ikkurty and several of his entities to pay a fine of $209.61 million.
The entities involved include Jafia LLC, Ikkurty Capital LLC, Rose City Income Fund I LP, Rose City Income Fund II, and Seneca Ventures LLC. The court's decision was based on the CFTC's findings of fraudulent solicitation and misappropriation of funds, which the CFTC described as a Ponzi scheme disguised as cryptocurrency and carbon investment projects.
The judgment requires Sam Ikkurty to pay $83.7 million in restitution to investors, offsetting $36.9 million in illegal proceeds forfeiture, in addition to a civil penalty of $110.9 million.