An Ohio man was sentenced to nine years in prison for operating a $10 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme

According to The Block, the U.S. Department of Justice sentenced Ohio resident Rathnakishore Giri to nine years in prison for operating a long-running investment fraud scheme that defrauded investors of at least $10 million. Giri pleaded guilty in 2024 to a charge of telecommunications fraud. In a revised plea agreement submitted before the sentencing hearing, Giri admitted to continuing to solicit funds from investors even after pleading guilty.

The Department of Justice stated that Giri falsely promised high returns and guaranteed the principal was risk-free, while in reality, he used funds from new investors to pay old investors, which is a typical Ponzi scheme. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously accused Giri of operating Bitcoin derivatives schemes through multiple entities since 2019 and initiated enforcement action in August 2022, with the Department of Justice filing five counts of telecommunications fraud against him in November 2022.