In addition to Pablo Renato Rodriguez, all five other defendants have also pled guilty.
On the chopping block we have:
- Gutemberg dos Santos – AirBit Club co-owner
- Karina Chairez – AirBit Club Master Council promoter
- Cecilia Millan – AirBit Club Master Council promoter
- Jackie Aguilar – AirBit Club National Entrepreneur promoter and
- Scott Hughes – Californian attorney who acted as an accomplice
The first Airbit Club scammer to plead guilty was Karina Chairez on January 31st.
Chairez (right) was unknown to me, seemingly having been indicted after August 2020 or possibly under seal (I’m not sure which).
In any event, as per a superseding indictment filed on October 21st, 2020, Chairez, in her capacity as a top AirBit Club promoter, was charged with wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Chairez pled guilty to both counts and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28th.
Next up we have Cecilia Milan. Millan pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on February 8th.
As per a preliminary forfeiture order, Millan will surrender her interest in
- $29,402 seized at the time of her arrest in 2020; and
- funds held in various bank accounts.
The preliminary order further details a $3.2 million dollar monetary judgment. Millan is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25th.
Jackie Aguilar pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on February 22nd. Aguilar is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27th.
Scott Hughes pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on March 2nd.
As per a preliminary forfeiture order, Hughes will surrender his interest in
- funds held in various bank accounts; and
- cryptocurrency held in various accounts.
The preliminary order further details an $18.1 million dollar monetary judgment. Hughes is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9th.
Renato Rodriguez pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on March 8th. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25th.
Gutemberg dos Santos’ change of plea docket entry was ordered unsealed on March 8th.
It’d have to be pretty recent as dos Santos was still defending the case as of late 2022.
In any event I can’t see anything specific pertaining to dos Santos, so I’ll leave it there. I expect dos Santos will be sentenced sometime between June and August 2023.
As per a March 8th press-release from the DOJ, the AirBit Club scammers are facing up to 20 to 30 years per count of fraud.