Crypto Fraudster Antonia Hernandez Sentenced to 30 Months for Forcount Rip-off

A New York court docket has sentenced Antonia Perez Hernandez, a key promoter within the Forcount Ponzi scheme, to 30 months in jail.

The ruling, delivered by U.S. District Choose Analisa Torres on January 27, follows Hernandez’s responsible plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

A Internet of Lies

The Tampa resident is claimed to have been a part of a gaggle that stole about $8.4 million from unsuspecting traders between 2017 and 2021. With others not in court docket, she promoted Forcount as a crypto buying and selling and mining firm, claiming those that invested in it might double their cash in half a 12 months.

Nonetheless, the agency carried out no reliable operations; as an alternative, it hoodwinked traders by giving them entry to an internet portal purporting to point out how their funds had been rising. Most couldn’t withdraw any of the so-called earnings they noticed on the web site, and the few who received any cash had been paid utilizing funds from new traders somewhat than proceeds from the corporate’s actions.

When complaints began mounting, Hernandez, together with Juan Tacuri and Nestor Nuñez, started promoting a proprietary crypto token referred to as “Mindexcoin.” They claimed the coin’s worth would skyrocket as soon as it turned accepted by mainstream retailers as cost for items and providers.

The three had been indicted in December 2022, alongside Forcount founder Francisley Da Silva and 6 different perpetrators of a separate crypto Ponzi scheme.

Tacuri pleaded responsible to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2024. A month later, his co-conspirators additionally admitted to the identical cost. He was sentenced to 20 years and compelled to forfeit about $3.6 million he had made out of the rip-off. As compared, Nuñez got here off comparatively simpler, receiving a four-year sentence for his function.

When Hernandez lastly had her day in court docket, Choose Torres despatched her to jail for 30 months as had been really useful by the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace. In her judgment, Torres identified that whereas the accused was not the mastermind, she performed a key function in selling the nugatory token to unsuspecting traders.

Victims Misplaced Life Financial savings

In keeping with court docket studies, some individuals who had put cash into the rip-off spoke out through the sentencing, detailing the devastating monetary and emotional influence of the promoter’s actions.

One sufferer, showing through video name, is claimed to have struggled with connection points as they shared their expertise. One other, sure to a wheelchair, wished to know the way the scammer was nonetheless dwelling comfortably regardless of the crimes she had dedicated.

Choose Torres, well-known for her 2023 ruling in a case pitting the SEC towards Ripple Labs, additionally heard how some victims misplaced their retirement financial savings and marriages due to the rip-off.

On her half, Hernandez expressed regret for her function within the con and apologized to these it had affected. In the meantime, the scheme’s orchestrator, Francisley Da Silva, remains to be in custody in Brazil.