Dear Clients,
While we await news regarding this case we continue to publish parts of the indictment. It illustrates how irresponsible individuals abuse people’s trust and carefully devise fraudulent projects. This results in even highly educated individuals in the field of Crypto becoming victims of cunning fraudsters.
Quoting parts of the indictment:
The Conspiracy
- From in or about 2014 through in or about December 2019, in Passaic County, in the District of New Jersey, and elsewhere, defendants
MATTHEW BRENT GOETTSCHE, RUSS ALBERT MEDLIN, JOSEPH FRANK ABEL, JOBADIAH SINCLAIR WEEKS, and SILVIU CATALIN BALACI,
knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with each other and others to directly and indirectly willfully offer and sell unregistered securities, contrary to Title 15, United States Code, Sections 77e and 77x.
Goal of the Conspiracy
- The goal of the conspiracy was for GOETTSCHE, MEDLIN, ABEL, WEEKS, BALACI, and others (the “Promotion Co-Conspirators”) to, directly and indirectly, willfully offer and sell securities in BCN without filing a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and use the means and instruments of transportation and communication in interstate commerce and the mails in connection with the offer and sale, for the purpose of enriching themselves and others.
Manner and Means of the Conspiracy
- It was part of the conspiracy that:
a. GOEYFSCHE, MEDLIN, WEEKS, ABEL, and others directly and indirectly took money from investors in exchange for membership in BCN and as investment for shares of mining pools that BCN purported to own and operate.
b. GOETTSCHE, MEDLIN, BALACI, and others created and displayed, and caused to be created and displayed, content on BCN’s websites to promote the sale of shares in BCN’s purported mining pools.
c. MEDLIN, ABEL, WEEKS, and others promoted the sale of shares in BCN through discussions with potential investors via the Internet and by creating and posting videos on the Internet.
d. MEDLIN, ABEL, WEEKS, and others promoted the sale of BCN shares by giving speeches and making presentations in the United States, including in New Jersey, and around the world.
e. GOETTSCHE, MEDLIN, WEEKS, ABEL, and others induced investors to pay for membership in BCN and to pay for shares in the purported profits of cryptocurrency mined from pools which BCN purported to manage on behalf of its members.
f. GOETITSCHE, MEDLIN, WEEKS, ABEL, and others represented to investors that buying shares of BCN’s mining pools would allow investors to profit from mining cryptocurrency without the expense and expertise that would be required to purchase and maintain their own cryptocurrency mining equipment.
g. ABEL, WEEKS, and others encouraged U.S. investors to utilize a VPN to obscure their true, U.S.-based IP addresses so that BCN and the Defendants could avoid detection arid regulation by U.S. law enforcement…
Zoran Miljakovic
Attorney at Law