Latvian national Ivars Auzins has been transferred to the United States. The charges include fraud via several fraudulent companies that offer false investment opportunities in crypto. Ivars Auzins will face multiple securities and wire fraud charges in Brooklyn federal court.
Latvian authorities transfer an alleged crypto fraudster to the US Custody
Ivars Auszins, a Latvian citizen, was taken to the United States. A six-count indictment against Auzins, a Latvian national, was filed in the United States. It charges him with securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. The indictment involves eight businesses that claimed to sell, invest in, mine, or offer digital assets.
Auzins will face the charges in Brooklyn federal court before Honorable Roanne. Mann. according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. United States Attorney for Eastern District of New York Breon Frieden and Michael J. Driscoll were the assistant directors-in-charge of New York Field Office of FBI.
Auzins committed a brazen scheme to fleece investors, who in turn funnelled millions of dollars into fraudulent crypto currency. The Office will continue vigorously investigating and prosecuting those who lie to investors and those who steal from them, even those operating from overseas.
According to the indictment, the Latvian allegedly ran several companies, the “Auzins Entities,” which advertised through email campaigns, social media, and websites dedicated to cryptocurrencies. Before disappearing, they offered valuable investments opportunities and sought out investors.
Denaro (and Bitroad) raised funds via initial coin offerings. Broi Investments Bankroi, Gemneon Investments and Lycovest all presented themselves as cryptocurrency investment platforms offering different profit rates and investment plans. Innovamine provided investments for mining various coins including bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), and more.
Auzins, along with his accomplices, allegedly persuaded investors to invest in their projects by making a variety of material misrepresentations about the products and services offered, as well as the potential profits investors could make from investing in Auzins Entities and the people who managed them.
Between approximately November 2017 and July 2019, individuals in the United States and other jurisdictions transferred at least $7 million in digital assets to Auzins’s companies. The DOJ noted that these entities vanished shortly after they received these investments.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Latvian law enforcement agencies to secure the arrest and extradition of Ivars Auzins to the United States, and the U.S. Extradition was carried out by Marshals Service, details are available in the announcement. Investigation was supported by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission New York Regional Office.
Auzins’s transfer to the U.S. comes after the recent extraditions of two Russian nationals accused by American authorities of crypto-related crime. Denis Dubnikov (29), is being held responsible for laundering ransomware funds that were used to attack individuals, organizations, and hospitals in America. Alexander Vinnik (42 years old), a alleged operator at BTC-e who is accused of laundering $4 billion via the now-defunct online asset exchange, was extradited by Greece earlier this month.
What do you think about the possibility of more people being extradited from crypto-related crimes to the U.S. Let us know in the comment section.
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