A Latvian national has been extradited to the United States to be charged with fraud by offering false investment opportunities to several companies. Ivars Auzins will appear in federal court in Brooklyn to plead guilty to multiple counts of wire and securities fraud.
Latvian authorities have extradited a crypto fraudster to US custody
Ivars Auzins, a citizen of the tiny Baltic state of Latvia, was extradited to the United States on Friday. The Latvian man has been charged with wire fraud, securities fraud, and wire and securities fraud in connection with conducting, investing in, or operating eight businesses in the United States. My digital assets.
Auzins will appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Saturday before the Honorable Roan L. Mann, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release. The charges were announced by United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Brian Peace, and Assistant Director of the New York FBI Office, Michael J. They are Driscoll.
Auzins has carried out a brutal scheme by fleecing investors who have invested millions of dollars into fraudulent cryptocurrencies. This office strictly investigates and prosecutes those who lie and steal from investors, including those who operate abroad.
According to the indictment, the Latvian allegedly ran a number of companies known as “Auzins Entities” that advertised through email campaigns, social media and websites dedicated to cryptocurrencies. They sought valuable investment opportunities and investments before they suddenly disappeared.
Two of these, Dinaro and Bitroad, have raised funds through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Impressio Estate, Broi Investments (Bankroi), Changepro, Gemneon Investments and Lycovest have presented themselves as crypto investment platforms offering different investment plans and profit rates. Innovamin offers investments in multiple coins including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).
Auzins and its affiliates are said to have misled investors into investing in their projects through a series of material misrepresentations and omissions regarding the products and services offered, the profits investors would receive from investing in Auzin, and the individuals they served.
In the year Between November 2017 and July 2019, individuals in the United States and other jurisdictions transferred at least $7 million in digital assets to outsourcing companies. Shortly after receiving these investments, these entities disappeared without providing the services they promised, the DOJ noted.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with Latvian law enforcement agencies to arrest Ivars Auzins and extradite him to the United States, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. The New York Regional Office of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission assisted in the investigation.
Auzins moved to the U.S. after the recent extradition of two Russian nationals accused of crypto-related crimes by U.S. authorities. Last week, the Netherlands extradited 29-year-old Denis Dubnikov, who is accused of embezzling the proceeds of a ransomware attack on individuals and organizations in the United States, including hospitals and healthcare providers. Earlier this month, Greece extradited 42-year-old Aleksandar Vinnik, the operator of BTC-e, who allegedly stole at least $4 billion from the now-defunct digital asset exchange.
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