Mirror Trading International CEO Johannes Steynberg has reportedly died in Brazil.
Steynberg’s death follows a local identity fraud conviction and pending approval of extradition to South Africa.
As per a death certificate published to the “Mirror Trading International Scam – Now What!?” FaceBook group, Steynberg, 40, died of sudden onset acute respiratory failure on April 22nd at 11:25pm.
The exact cause of death stated on Steynberg’s purported death certificate states;
Acute respiratory failure with sudden death, pulmonary infarctions, bilateral massive pulmonary thromboembolism, bilateral intracardiac thrombosis, hypertrophic – dilated heart disease, chronic smoking.
An April 23rd “burial guide” document from the Brazilian government states Steynberg will be buried “at the Jardim das Palmeiras Cemetery in Goiania-GO”. No specific date is provided.
Naturally with a $3.4 billion default judgment against him in the US, pending extradition to South Africa and local identity fraud conviction, Steynberg’s death is highly suspicious.
Following release from prison earlier this year after his three year immigration sentence was commuted to an additional fine, Steynberg (right) is reported to have been “under house arrest on a farm in Pirenópolis in the state of Goiás”.
This was presumably ordered pending the outcome of Steynberg’s extradition to South Africa.
Things get even more murky when you factor in last year Steynberg was illegally obtaining regular access to the internet through Prison Director’s Office.
Last December Brazilian media reported Steynberg was using his illegal internet access to “manage his financial affairs”. A few months later he’s released and apparently now dead, and due for what appears to be an expedited local burial.
Other than knocking up a local in an attempt to beat extradition proceedings, Steynberg has no ties to Brazil. Although he has a wife back in South Africa, Steynberg’s Brazilian death certificate marks him as “single”.
I’m not one for conspiracy theories but in this particular instance, unless there’s a body flown back to South Africa and confirmed to be Steynberg, I’ll never be 100% convinced he’s actually dead.
It’s just all too convenient.
News24 reports South Africa’s FBI equivalent, the Hawks, are “trying to confirm” Steynberg’s death.
Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said the unit, which has been investigating fraud at MTI for the past three years, was trying to confirm and verify reports of the 40-year-old’s death.
Nit putting much faith in that considering South African authorities have thus far failed to make any arrests in relation to Mirror Trading International.
In a federal lawsuit filed against Steynberg in 2022, the CFTC alleged Mirror Trading International was a $1.7 billion dollar Ponzi scheme.
Suspected primary beneficiaries Clynton and Cheri Marks remain at large and living openly in South Africa.