U.S. Authorities Sentence Bitcoin Criminal to 15 Months Imprisonment
Joseph Kim, a 24-year old Phoenix, Arizona resident has been sentenced to one and half year in jail for defrauding his former employers, Consolidated Trading and friends over $1 million in bitcoin (BTC) and litecoin (LTC), using the funds for his personal enrichment, reported Finance Magnates on November 18, 2018.
Another Bad Actor Goes Down
According to sources close to the matter, Joseph Kim, a 24-year old former assistant trader at Consolidated Trading, a Chicago-based firm that initially deals on currencies and commodities trading, has been sentenced to a 15-month jail term for bitcoin-related fraud.
Kim who worked as an assistant trader at cryptocurrency trading desk Consolidated Trading has reportedly been convicted of stealing roughly $600,000 in bitcoin and litecoin from the firm, while also duping his close friends by $545,000, using the entire $1.145 million for his interests.
The convict, who was hired to trade bitcoin and other crypto-assets at his former firm, allegedly stole vast amounts of the company’s bitcoin and litecoin in a bid to cover his trading losses.
Once the firm noticed the shortage in their funds, Kim was asked if he had a hand in it, but he vehemently denied.
However, the fraudster’s illicit act was eventually uncovered, prompting the firm to fire him.
Per the indictment, after losing his job, Kim started soliciting funds from his close friends and acquaintances, lying to them he voluntarily left his job to begin own cryptocurrency trading venture.
Unfortunately, some of Kim’s victims reportedly gave him their retirement savings, of which he misappropriated and presented them with fake documentation showing his trades were profitable.
Guilty As Charged
While Kim pleaded guilty to a count charge of wire fraud, four investors have also testified against the bad actor, with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filing charges against him.
Commenting on Kim’s sentencing, two Assistant U.S. Attorneys in charge of the case made it clear that despite the complex nature of cryptocurrency trading, “the criminal justice system will continue to hold traders and investment experts accountable for fraudulent practices.”
Just like in the traditional finance world, distributed ledger technology (DLT) powered virtual currency ecosystem has had its fair share of bad actors and authorities are leaving no stones unturned in their fight against rogue actors.
In October 2018, BTCManager reported that the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission had ordered a New York firm, Gelfman Blueprint, Inc. and its founders to pay $2.5 million in fines and restitution for running a Bitcoin Ponzi scheme.
