The Brazilian Federal Police carried out one of the biggest
cryptocurrency seizures in the country’s history on August 25, when the
organization seized $28.8 million in cryptocurrency from an alleged
investing Ponzi scheme. The operation, called “Kryptos,” included the
arrest of five individuals linked to the pyramid scheme and
confiscations of cash and luxury items.
$28.8 Million Dollars Seized by Brazilian Police in ‘Operation Kryptos’
On August 25, the Brazilian Federal Police executed
a joint action in different locations of the country to seize goods and
arrest people linked to an alleged pyramid scheme. Operation Kryptos,
as the sting was named by Brazilian authorities, resulted in the arrest
of Glaidson Acácio, who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme in the
locality of Cabo Frio, in Rio de Janeiro. The operation also managed to
seize more than $28 million in cryptocurrency, one of the biggest
seizures in the history of the country.
Four other individuals were arrested in several locations, including
Cabo Frio and the Guarulhos Airport. Acácio was suspected of running a
Ponzi scheme investment company that offered returns of 15% over the
value deposited by investors. The operation included 15 orders of search
and seizure, which allowed the Federal Police to seize 21 luxury
vehicles, high-end watches, jewelry, R$19 million (US$3.6 million) in
cash, and other amounts in foreign currency and documents.
Acácio’s defense stresses that they are still waiting to see the full
case against their defendant to offer statements about the operation.
Brazil Acts Against Crypto-Related Crime
Brazil has been one of the most active countries when it comes to
regulating and punishing cryptocurrency-related crimes in Latam. Just in
the last months, several big operations have been carried out by the
federal police, with millions of dollars recovered. Earlier this month,
Federal Police launched
“Operation Compliance,” which included the execution of more than 34
search and seizure orders across the country by 150 federal policemen.
In July, police executed two other cryptocurrency-related operations. The first one seized
$33 million linked to money laundering tasks carried out by shell
companies and non-KYC-compliant cryptocurrency exchanges. The second one
had to do with the arrest of Claudio Oliveira, the infamous “King of Bitcoin” in the country, who allegedly faked a hack attack to take more than $300 million dollars in cryptocurrency from investors.
source link : https://news.bitcoin.com/brazilian-police-seize-28-8-million-in-cryptocurrency-from-alleged-ponzi-scheme/
