In brief
- Self-styled Russian crypto expert “Bitmama” has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a $23 million Bitcoin fraud disguised as offshore investments.
- Russian prosecutors say she lured clients by promising to convert funds in Dubai to avoid Western sanctions.
- Her arrest comes amid rising concerns over Russia’s use of crypto to bypass sanctions and fund covert operations.
A Russian mother who branded herself as a crypto expert has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a Moscow court after orchestrating a ruthless pyramid scheme that defrauded investors of $23 million (2.2 billion rubles) worth of Bitcoin in just 60 days in 2023.
Valeria Fedyakina, from Simferopol, posed as “Bitmama,” a legitimate crypto trader with global offices, promising clients she could transfer their money abroad using crypto to circumvent Western sanctions, according to The Telegraph.
Instead, Russian prosecutors said she emptied her clients’ accounts, in what became one of the country’s largest recent crypto fraud cases.
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Author: Vismaya V
