US Lawyer Convicted for Laundering $400 Million of OneCoin Proceeds

Friday, 22/11/2019 | 10:33 GMT by Arnab Shome
  • He is now facing maximum jail time of 50 years.
US Lawyer Convicted for Laundering $400 Million of OneCoin Proceeds
OneCoin

Mark Scott, the US lawyer associated with OneCoin, was convicted by a US court for his role in moving around $400 million out of the US.

Scott’s trail initiated earlier this month in the US District Court in Manhattan. He was facing two charges – one for conspiracy to commit Money Laundering and another to commit bank fraud - and was found guilty for both. He can now face jail time of up to 50 years.

US prosecutors accused the lawyer of his involvement in the laundering of $400 million, which were the proceeds from selling OneCoin to victims. This is only a fraction of the funds raised by the shady crypto scheme as, according to law enforcement, it duped investors around the world for around $4 billion.

Testimony from the Bank of Ireland staff also revealed that Scott was using multiple accounts at the bank to funnel money from the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to the United Arab Emirates.

“OneCoin used the success story of Bitcoin to induce victims to invest under the guise that they, too, could get rich through their investments,” the state attorneys stated in a court filing.

In his defense, Scott argued that he was not aware of the fraudulent nature of OneCoin and was only doing his job for his clients. However, his arguments didn’t stand strong in a court of law.

According to the prosecutors, he made $50 million for moving OneCoin proceeds.

Masterminds crumbling apart

Meanwhile, Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatov, also pleaded guilty to several charges brought in by the prosecutors, including money laundering and wire fraud.

However, the founder of the project is still at large, and, according to her brother, she fled to Vienna or Athens.

Mark Scott, the US lawyer associated with OneCoin, was convicted by a US court for his role in moving around $400 million out of the US.

Scott’s trail initiated earlier this month in the US District Court in Manhattan. He was facing two charges – one for conspiracy to commit Money Laundering and another to commit bank fraud - and was found guilty for both. He can now face jail time of up to 50 years.

US prosecutors accused the lawyer of his involvement in the laundering of $400 million, which were the proceeds from selling OneCoin to victims. This is only a fraction of the funds raised by the shady crypto scheme as, according to law enforcement, it duped investors around the world for around $4 billion.

Testimony from the Bank of Ireland staff also revealed that Scott was using multiple accounts at the bank to funnel money from the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands to the United Arab Emirates.

“OneCoin used the success story of Bitcoin to induce victims to invest under the guise that they, too, could get rich through their investments,” the state attorneys stated in a court filing.

In his defense, Scott argued that he was not aware of the fraudulent nature of OneCoin and was only doing his job for his clients. However, his arguments didn’t stand strong in a court of law.

According to the prosecutors, he made $50 million for moving OneCoin proceeds.

Masterminds crumbling apart

Meanwhile, Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatov, also pleaded guilty to several charges brought in by the prosecutors, including money laundering and wire fraud.

However, the founder of the project is still at large, and, according to her brother, she fled to Vienna or Athens.

About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome
  • 6654 Articles
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About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He entered the industry covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates and later expanded his reach to forex as well. He is passionate about the changing regulatory landscape on financial markets and keenly follows the disruptions in the industry with new-age technologies.
  • 6654 Articles
  • 102 Followers

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