One of the top promoters of the Forcount crypto Ponzi scheme, Juan Tacuri, has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge in New York.
The United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York stated on June 5 that Juan Tacuri was the driving force behind the “Ponzi” scheme, which amassed $8.4 million from primarily Spanish-speaking investors worldwide.
The scheme was founded on deceptive promises that investors would receive returns from Forcount’s cryptocurrency trading and mining operations, including doubling their initial investment within the first six months.
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Juan Tacuri is being held accountable for exploiting retail investors and offering them a fraudulent investment opportunity through this guilty plea.
Judge Analisa Torres, who is well-versed in cryptocurrency-related matters, will sentence Tacuri on September 24, 2024.
The accusation is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
In December 2022, Tacuri, Francisley Da Silva, and Antonia Perez Hernandez were re-charged for their involvement in the conspiracy from 2017-21. The latter two have not been convicted or pleaded guilty.
Williams claimed that Tacuri expended millions of dollars from victim funds on “luxury goods and real estate.”
Juan Tacuri forfeited nearly $4 million, and real estate was acquired with victim funds as part of the plea agreement.
Tacuri, like numerous Ponzi promoters, conducted extravagant expos and community presentations across the United States to entice victims to invest in the Ponzi scheme.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, he would emphasize the significance of achieving financial independence while boasting about the profits he had been earning through the scheme.
Those who Tacuri persuaded would register on Forcount’s portal and observe the accumulation of “profits.” Nevertheless, numerous victims could not extricate these “profits” and ultimately lost their investments.
The United States Attorney’s Office also noted that the limited number of individuals who could withdraw were confronted with excuses, delays, and concealed fees.
Later, Forcount began offering the cryptocurrency “Mindexcoin” to increase liquidity in the scheme.
Tacuri asserted that the coin would experience a substantial increase in value once businesses began accepting it as payment for products and services.
However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated this was “false” and led to additional financial losses for the victims.
Williams concluded, “This Office will continue to pursue Ponzi schemers such as Tacuri, particularly when they target regular, working individuals in financial distress.”
