A U.S. federal jury found the founder of the crypto platform Crypto-Pal guilty of cryptocurrency fraud, facing a maximum of 20 years in prison
Court documents from the U.S. Department of Justice (Eastern District of California Prosecutor's Office) show that a federal jury found Daniel Chartraw (53 years old) guilty of multiple counts of cryptocurrency and investment fraud, involving losses of nearly $1 million. Between March 2021 and February 2022, Chartraw and his accomplices controlled several companies, including Crypto-Pal LLC and TDA Global LLC.Chartraw and his agents claimed that Crypto-Pal was an online cryptocurrency trading company that guaranteed high returns with no risk. Chartraw also repeatedly claimed that TDA Global was engaged in supplying aviation fuel to airlines or operated its own cryptocurrency trading platform. Chartraw used aliases to conceal his prior criminal record and lured victims to invest in the Crypto-Pal platform with the bait of "capital protection and high returns," subsequently misappropriating all the funds for personal use.Chartraw is scheduled to be sentenced by a senior judge of the U.S. District Court on September 28, 2026. Each count against Chartraw carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
