Although we became aware of indictments handed down to members of Krsitijan Krstic’s Ponzi empire last week, they remained under seal – meaning we didn’t have access to any details.
As a result of the arrest of Krstic’s accomplice Haojia Miao, a redacted copy of the indictment was made available on his Texas case docket on February 5th.
The original indictment against Kristijan Krstic (right) and his accomplices, was filed under seal on March 4th, 2020.
A redacted superseding indictment was filed on July 7th, 2020. It was unsealed on February 5th.
The unsealed indictment names sixteen defendants, four of which are redacted.
- Kristijan Krstic, aka Kristian Jacobs, Felix Logan, Oliver Turner and Marshall Graham;
- Xenia Faye Atilano Krstic, aka Majda Pratejc, Xenia Faye Jacobs and Xenia Faye Atilano;
- Marko Pavlovic, aka Bjorn Emerson, Marlon Butler and Willem Adelbert;
- Uros Slakovic, aka Lax Lesmo, Michael [sic] Anderson and Abbey Brooks
- Haojia Miao, aka Stan Miao;
- Nenad Krstic, aka Roland Valgerdur and Kevin Ericsson;
- Antonije Stojiljkovic (extradited to the US a few days ago), aka Toni Rivas and Jacob Gold;
- Andrija Selakovic, aka Andy Alinary;
- Blazo Radulovic;
- Nikola Dimitrijevic;
- Nenad Mladenovic; and
- Milos Mitic, aka Tom Hardian
The number of aliases cited in the indictment is testament to Krstic’s prolific use of personas.
Fake names and pictures were created for the fraudulent investment platforms’ officers and chairmen.
The defendants would often use female names as aliases to directly communicate and promote the fraudulent investment platforms to investors around the world.
Additionally, the defendants would conduct conference calls and video meetings during which they would represent themselves as different people in order to trick investors into believing the fraudulent investment platforms were legitimate.
As to the redacted defendants, it’s possible Krstic’s known accomplices John DeMarr and Robin Enos. Why their names would be redacted though I’m not sure.
While DeMarr has been indicted, I’m more inclined to think the redacted names are yet to be apprehended suspects.
Typically when we’ve seen redacted indictments in the past it’s because defendants haven’t been arrested.
An indicator would be when the superseding indictment was redacted (in July 2020 prior to DeMarr’s arrest or in February 2021), but we don’t have that information.
The two charges in the superseding indictment are conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Note these are the same charges leveled against John DeMarr.
In any event, even if two of the redacted defendants are DeMarr and Enos, that leaves two completely unknown defendants.
The superseding indictment details several fraudulent investment schemes, that together with other scams made up Krstic’s Ponzi empire.
Kristijan Krstic … (his accomplices) … and others, both known and unknown to the Grand Jury, helped create, promote, market, and organize fraudulent investment platforms, including Options Giants, Banking Option, Aeon Options, Options Rider, Bancde Options, Instant Options, Fast Options, Elite Options, Start Options, Crypto Trading World, BTC Trader Online, BTC Falcon, Perpetual Energy, Hedger Tech, Go Solar Mining, Perfect-Options, and others.
The defendants created, promoted, marketed, and organized the fraudulent investment platforms from China, Australia, the Philippines, and Serbia.
As detailed in the indictment, marketing claims used to promote Krstic’s scams were bogus.
After Krstic’s forex schemes, in which no trading ever took place, he jumped onto the MLM crypto Ponzi bandwagon.
The basic ruse Krstic used for most of his crypto Ponzis was crypto mining.
In regards to cryptocurrency mining, the fraudulent investment platforms would claim they had plants in “UAE, India, Morocco, Mexico and China,” and that an individual could “purchase bitcoin at half the market price!!!,” and that they have a “mining farm which guarantees 24/7 mining through our world-wide mining facilities,” when, in fact, the defendants knew these cryptocurrency mining facilities never existed, and that purchases of bitcoin could not be had for fifty percent of the market price.
Specific roles of the defendants in Krstic’s Ponzi empire, as detailed in the indictment, are as follows:
- Xenia used her name and aliases to register investment platform domain names
- Krstic, Pavlovic, (redacted defendant), Nenad, Stojiljkovic and Andrija ‘would create fraudulent material and writings to place on the fraudulent investment platforms’
- Radulovic, Dimitrijevic and Mladenovic set up the websites, and created ‘fake trading activity, fake withdrawal history, fake wire receipts, fake email addresses, fake passports, and by registering the websites … with fake names’
- Krstic, (redacted defendant), Pavlovic, Selakovic, (redacted defendant), Miao, (redacted defendant), Nenad, Stojiljkovic, Andrija and Mitic communicated with investors through email and online messaging platforms
- Krstic, (redacted defendant), Pavlovic, Selakovic, (redacted defendant), Nenad and Stojiljkovic held conference calls with investors, during which false information was disseminated
- Krstic, (redacted defendant), Pavlovic, Selakovic, (redacted defendant), Nenad, Stojiljkovic, Andrija and Mitic handled wire deposits into an international bank account associated with Krstic and Xenia
- Krstic and Xenia paid commissions to (redacted defendant), Pavlovic, Selakovic, (redacted defendant), Miao, (redacted defendant), Nenad, Stojiljkovic, Andrija and Mitic
The DOJ estimates that since 2014, investors losses are pegged at over seventy million.
In addition to two criminal charges, the DOJ is also seeking forfeiture of ill-gotten gains.
Stay tuned for updates as we continue to track the case.
Update 2nd March 2021 – Kristijan Krcic has been indicted again.
Krstic’s New York indictment pertains to Start Options and Bitcoiin related fraud.
Update 23rd March 2021 – Efforts to extradite Krstijan Krstic from Serbia have hit a roadblock.
Update 19th December 2021 – Haojia Miao has pled guilty to one count of wire fraud.