Gilbert Armenta, a resident of Florida, was a key determine in OneCoin’s cash laundering operations.
He has additionally been romantically linked to OneCoin’s founder, Ruja Ignatova.
On September twelfth, 2017, Armenta was indicted by a Grand Jury on three counts of extortion; conspiracy to commit extortion, tried extortion and journey act extortion.
Armenta was arrested in Connecticut the next day on September thirteenth.
As per proceedings held in New York on September 18th, Armenta’s bail was set at $5 million {dollars}.
Armenta (proper) was ordered to remain in Manhattan with a 6pm curfew and GPS monitoring. His passport and people belonging to his grownup kids have been additionally surrendered.
Armenta’s preliminary plea to the felony expenses in opposition to him was not responsible.
On January twenty fourth 2018, the DOJ filed a superseding indictment including further felony expenses.
Armenta now confronted 5 counts;
- conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
- conspiracy to commit cash laundering (three counts); and
- conspiracy to commit extortion.
As alleged by the DOJ;
Gilbert Armenta assisted within the execution of the OneCoin scheme by, amongst different issues,
(a) coordinating the opening of OneCoin Ltd. depository financial institution accounts … at banks positioned in Mexico and South America;
(b) establishing and administering OneCoin “pool accounts” at varied worldwide banks;
(c) introducing a number of principals of the OneCoin scheme to a web based popularity firm for the aim of eradicating from the web destructive details about OneCoin Ltd.;
(d) transmitting OneCoin Ltd. fund to pay recruitment commissions to OneCoin members who recruited new OneCoin members, in addition to to pay refunds to dissatisfied OneCoin members; and
(e) transmitting OneCoin Scheme proceeds via financial institution accounts positioned in the USA and overseas, and making varied misrepresentations to banks concerning the supply of the funds, for the aim of laundering the OneCoin scheme proceeds.
With respect to extortion, the DOJ alleged
Armenta agreed with others to make use of threats of bodily hurt to aim to gather cost via worldwide wire switch from a person in the UK who they believed had stolen enterprise proceeds initially meant for worldwide wire switch.
The person in query just isn’t named.
The identical day the superseding indictment was filed, Armenta pled responsible to all 5 counts.
We all know via testimony that Armenta opted to cooperate with the FBI following his arrest in September 2017.
Nothing was filed in Armenta’s case from March twenty seventh, 2018 until April 2020.
On April twenty ninth 2020, the DOJ requested Armenta’s case be unsealed. I consider this signaled the top of his cooperation with US authorities.
On Could twenty ninth Armenta’s sentencing was scheduled for July twenty third.
Citing COVID-19 and claiming he was affected by “uncertainty and stress”, on July seventh Armenta requested his sentencing listening to be carried out through video convention.
The uncertainty and stress that Mr. Armenta and his household have been residing with has been agonizing.
Mr. Armenta has been in residence detention for over three months, following eight months in detention on the Metropolitan Correctional Middle (the “MCC”).
Additional delaying his sentencing, probably indefinitely relying on the pandemic’s development, solely exacerbates the nervousness and torment that Mr. Armenta is experiencing.
This letter to the court docket revealed that in July 2019 Armenta was remanded again into custody. The DOJ allege Armenta violated his cooperation settlement.
In December 2019 the DOJ knowledgeable Armenta they’d not be offering him with a Part 5K1.1 letter.
A Part 5K1.1 letter states to the court docket that as a result of
the defendant has supplied substantial help within the investigation or prosecution of one other one that has dedicated an offense, the court docket could depart from (sentencing) tips.
Due to his personal actions Armenta’s cooperation with US authorities, so far as his personal self pursuits went, was for naught.
The DOJ responded in opposition to Armenta’s movement the identical day.
The DOJ revealed that with respect to violating his cooperation settlement, Armenta had
used his corporations to have interaction in further felony exercise whereas topic to the phrases of a cooperation settlement with the Authorities.
Of their argument in opposition to a video convention listening to (which elevated the chance of the scheduled date being saved), the DOJ argued
there aren’t any particular causes that sentencing on this case can’t be additional delayed with out severe hurt to the pursuits of justice.
The complexity of the case in help of an in-person listening to was additionally introduced up.
On July eighth the court docket denied Armenta’s video convention request.
The applying is denied. Defendant gives no particular causes to search out that additional delay would trigger severe hurt to the curiosity of justice.
Armenta’s is at the moment scheduled for in-person sentencing on October twenty first, 2020.
Keep tuned…