The Watch Sex 2: Fate (1995)rug-puller arrests have begun.
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that law enforcement rounded up two men accused of running not one, but two fraudulent non-fungible token projects. The men, both 20 years old, allegedly sold NFTs with a promised raft of benefits to unsuspecting investors before disappearing with the funds and leaving holders out to dry.
At issue were "Frosties" NFTs, still listed on OpenSea, which the DOJ said Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna pitched as guaranteeing exclusive giveaways and "early access to a metaverse game." Of course, the two men allegedly "abandoned the Frosties NFT project within hours after selling out of Frosties NFTs, deactivated the Frosties website, and transferred approximately $1.1 million in cryptocurrency proceeds from the scheme[.]"
In late 2021, the blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that rug pulls "have emerged as the go-to scam of the DeFi ecosystem, accounting for 37% of all cryptocurrency scam revenue in 2021" for a total of at least $2.8 billion worth of crypto that year alone.
Nguyen and Llacuna are charged with wire fraud, which has a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
Notably, the two men supposedly operated under a ream of aliases, including such gems as "Frostie," "Jakefiftyeight," "Jobo," "Joboethan," "Meltfrost," and "heyandre."
And, at least according to law enforcement, Nguyen and Llacuna were queued up to run another rug pull expected to garner around $1.5 million in sales. That project, Embers, was scheduled to mint on March 26.
"Each individual Ember is carefully curated from over 150 traits, along with some incredibly rare 1/1s that have traits that can't be found from any other Ember," reads the project's webpage. "Our vision is to create an amazing project that will shed light, joy, love, and creativity! Burn on, Embers!"
Thursday's arrests make it all the more clear that cryptocurrency history is repeating itself. In 2017, the initial coin offering (ICO) boom drew scores of scammers and celebrity shills who profited off retail investors FOMOing into cryptocurrency. It took some time, but law enforcement and the Securities and Exchange Commission eventually cracked down on those scammers, too.
SEE ALSO: Sick of NFTs? Insiders insist they're just getting started.What we're seeing now is likely the tip of the Department of Justice's investigatory iceberg when it comes to NFT scams. Don't be surprised if Nguyen and Llacuna's arrests only represent the first of many to come.
Topics Cryptocurrency
The 'digital wellness lady' is on a mission to make you unplugLet Justin Trudeau lull you to dreamland with his mesmerizing Earth Day messageWhat's Gilly reading in new 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 photo?Elon Musk's masterplan for humanity's future is beyond your wildest sciTarget is turning shopping carts into Mario karts and there's no way this ends wellUber employees seem to think #Undelete is a great idea for graffitiI am the founder of Starbucks and I am begging you to stop buying the Unicorn FrappuccinoNSFW TV show launches toy box to distract kids during the many sex scenesLittlefinger's 'Game of Thrones' scheme may get truly evil in season 7I am the founder of Starbucks and I am begging you to stop buying the Unicorn FrappuccinoMasterCard is testing new cards with fingerprint sensors to keep your money safeHow to turn on 'Undo Send' in GmailJustice Department reportedly prepares charges for Julian Assange's arrestCan the iPhone 8 avoid the Samsung Galaxy S8's one big mistake?Apple Watch Earth Day 2017Take a peaceful moment to watch this baby hippo showerYou probably wouldn't even want to ride a real life hoverboardGenius kid fakes letter from school claiming he needs more time for 'video game class'NSFW TV show launches toy box to distract kids during the many sex scenesThis photo of Earth peeking out between Saturn's rings will make you feel small ¡Figaro! 90210, a New Adaptation, Takes Immigrants’ Rights to the Opera Of Opium, Spying, and Secret Silk Squares Why We Keep Looking for Lost Jungle Cities Shop the Echo Dot for $34.99 — save 30% Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Feminist Posters 1974–1990 Dream a Little Dream of Me: An Interview with Pénélope Bagieu Mike Powell: Visiting a Fissure in the Arizona Desert Whiting Awards 2017: Francisco Cantú, Nonfiction Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘Americanah’ Selected for “One Book, One New York” On Translating Karolina Ramqvist’s Novel ‘The White City’ When Dreaming Was Mind Hilton Als Wins Pultizer Prize for Criticism Remembering Robert Silvers, 1929–2017 Poolside with Chuck Berry The Poetry of Pop: Nine Poets on Their Favorite Song Lyrics Light of the World: Derek Walcott, 1930–2017 My Dogs Eat Better Than I Do, and I’m Okay with That An Empty Saddle for Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Cowboy Poet Staff Picks: Fleur Jaeggy, R. Sikoryak, Brian Blanchfield, and More Getting Out Alive: Rethinking the End of “Goodbye, Columbus”
1.8136s , 10132.5703125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Watch Sex 2: Fate (1995)】,Evergreen Information Network