800 victims of 'massive' Bitconnect fraud to receive $17M restitution
A group of crypto fraud victims of the BitConnect investment scheme will see some respite from the multi-billion dollar fraud scheme after a court ordered they receive a share in a $17 million restitution.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California ordered the restitution for the “massive” scheme on Jan. 12 according to a release on the same day by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
800 victims of the scheme, hailing from 40 countries will be able to take a small slice of the $17 million restitution, a term that refers to returning property or monetary value of losses to the proper owner.
The DOJ statement noted that Bitconnect was a purported crypto lending platform that touted proprietary technology including the “Bitconnect Trading Bot” and “Volatility Software” that claimed would net investors guaranteed returns.
It promised a return an average daily compounding interest of 1% or 3,700% annually.
Investors would trade in Bitcoin (BTC) receiving Bitconnect Coin (BCC) in return which could be lent out at varying rates of interest.
However, the whole platform turned out to be a "textbook Ponzi scheme," as early investors were paid with funds supplied by new investors, it wrote.
The crypto platform launched in 2016 but collapsed in 2018 after pilfering $2.4 billion from over 4,000 people from 95 countries.
Related: How to tell if a cryptocurrency project is a Ponzi scheme
The alleged founder of Bitconnect, Satish Kumbhani, was charged by the DOJ in February 2022. He is also subject to a police investigation in India and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
The top U.S.-based Bitconnect promotor, Glenn Arcaro, pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges in September 2021 and was ordered to pay back
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