Remember Charles Ponzi? The guy from the 1920s who was the first to think of paying old investors with the money of new ones and called it 'investment'?
Another gentleman named Dwayne Golden thought that cryptocurrency is not just a way to earn money, but a great opportunity to steal everything you have. And what’s most interesting — people believed again!
After all, if someone says to you: 'Buddy, give me your money, and I’ll multiply it tenfold overnight' — well, who in their right mind wouldn’t give away their last savings?
So, Golden and company decided: why invent the wheel? We’ll just add the word 'crypto' and load a landing page with shiny coins. Here’s EmpowerCoin, here’s ECoinPlus, here’s Jet-Coin — pick any flavor, the money will still go to the same place.
From April to August 2017, they raised $40 million. $40 million! Meanwhile, people were debating whether Bitcoin would hit $20k or crash — and here someone guarantees you income without risks. Beautiful. Your money, your problems, yachts — theirs. Classic.
When everything went south, our heroes did what all honest crypto entrepreneurs do when targeted by the FBI: they started destroying evidence and crafting tales for the federal jury. Well, why not? Maybe it will work. It didn't.
8 years in prison and a couple million back to the state
A federal judge in Brooklyn said: 'Dwayne, buddy, take a rest for 97 months, think about life. You’ll return $2.46 million — well, what’s left.' His partner got only 30 months — apparently for good behavior or poor work. The others are waiting their turn — Marquis Egerton (or, excuse me, 'Mardi Eger' — sounds almost like a rap alter ego) will soon try on an orange jumpsuit.
And now the season's novelty — Pig Butchering!
And here’s the fresh news: five 'brokers' scammed people through social networks and dating apps for $36.9 million. So sweet: first romance, then 'honey, invest everything you have.' The money went to Cambodia. Love faded, money disappeared, only a broken Visa card remained.
The moral of this tale
If someone tells you: 'Guaranteed profit in crypto' — laugh in their face. If someone invites you to 'invest' via WhatsApp — run away. If someone offers 'Jet-Coin', 'EmpowerCoin' or 'SuperHyperMegaCoin' — get the popcorn and watch as they end up in prison for about eight years.
