After seemingly little no progress on the regulatory entrance for a while, a key OneCoin insider has been indicted on a cash laundering cost within the US.
Mark Scott was indicted by federal grand jury on August twenty first, on cash laundering prices associated to the OneCoin Ponzi scheme.
On the identical day Scott was indicted, a warrant was additionally issued for his arrest. Authorities apprehended Scott on September fifth.
Scott’s indictment follows a joint FBI and DOJ investigation. In accordance with a filed affidavit in assist of his arrest, Scott has been charged with Conspiracy to commit cash laundering.
Mark Scott is a licensed lawyer in Florida. As is typical of the scheme, Scott is alleged to have laundered OneCoin investor funds by a number of shell firms.
Along with MSS Worldwide Consultants, registered within the British Virgin Islands, Scott laundered funds and introduced property within the US by “133 Sundown Lane Acquisition Restricted” and MSSI 31 Dale Avenue Property Group LLC.
133 Sundown Lane Acquisition Restricted was used to buy a $2.85 million greenback Massachusetts mansion Scott and his spouse Lidia Kolesnikova (proper) resided in.
MSSI 31 Dale Avenue Property Group was used to buy a $3.7 million greenback mansion in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts in 2017.
Federal prosecutors allege Scott laundered round $400 million {dollars} in stolen investor funds, with the intention of
conceal(ling) and disguis(ing) the character, location, supply, possession, and management of the proceeds of specified illegal exercise (in relation to) a pyramid scheme involving a purported cryptocurrency often called “OneCoin”.
The indictment observes transactions of OneCoin investor funds between entities based mostly within the US and overseas.
The indictment additionally contends that Scott ought to forfeit to the federal authorities any property or cash traceable to the cash laundering offense, and that if any such property or cash can’t be discovered, has been offered or has been diminished in worth, the federal government ought to search forfeiture of different property belonging to Scott as much as the total quantity of what needs to be turned over.
Following his arrest, Scott was transported to the Southern District of New York.
The New York case docket reveals sealed filings within the case in opposition to Scott have been first filed on October seventeenth, 2017. Dates specified within the indictment are from 2016 to current.
When precisely US authorities started investigating OneCoin is as of but unclear.
One chance is that a number of filings nonetheless beneath seal in Scott’s prison case docket, could comprise info on associated circumstances in opposition to different people.
On September tenth, Scott’s $2.5 million bail was posted and he was launched on strict journey circumstances, together with give up of journey paperwork and residential detention with digital monitoring.
When authorities arrived at Scott’s Massachusetts dwelling to serve the warrant, they discovered his spouse with an toddler ‘and an unsecured weapon on an finish desk within the neighborhood of the kid‘.
Lidia Kolesnikova, who doesn’t have a license to hold, was charged with reckless endangerment of a kid.
Kolesnikova, 42, pleaded not responsible to the cost final week in Barnstable District Court docket.
She was launched on her personal recognizance provided that she give up her firearms and never have firearms in any dwelling the place youngsters are current, in line with the paperwork.
As on the time of publication, that’s all we all know. We’ll be maintaining you updated on how each circumstances play out, so keep tuned for that.
One level I wish to stress is Scott’s indictment mentions individuals “identified and unknown”, suggesting the FBI and DOJ’s investigation into OneCoin is ongoing.
How deep this goes and whether or not additional arrests are made as OneCoin’s cash laundering community is dissected stays to be seen.
And a closing thought for OneCoin associates nonetheless in denial in regards to the fraudulent nature of the enterprise:
Nonetheless assume Ruja Ignatova is on maternity go away?