Former Deutsche Bank investment banker Rashawn Russell has pleaded guilty to misappropriating funds from investors he deceived with promises of significant returns from cryptocurrency trading.
The U.S. Justice Department, on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, released a statement saying that Russell, who was charged in April 2023, admitted that his purported cryptocurrency investment fund, R3 Crypto Fund, is a scheme he used to defraud his clients.
According to the Justice Department, between November 2020 and August 2022, at least 29 investors lost at least $1.5 million via Russell’s scheme. He allegedly diverted these funds to gambling, repaying earlier investors, and covering personal expenses.
In addition to this, Russell also pleaded guilty to participating in a separate identity theft scheme. In this scheme, he fraudulently acquired 15 credit cards and other access devices using third parties’ names with the intention of using them for unauthorized transactions.
Russell’s career as an investment banker spanned from July 2018 to November 2021 at an undisclosed financial institution. His LinkedIn profile indicated that he joined Deutsche Bank as an investment banking analyst in July 2018 and was promoted to associate in July 2020.
United States Attorney Breon Peace, one of the three attorneys who announced the guilt plea, remarked,
“Russell leveraged investor interest in cryptocurrency markets to perpetrate a scheme to defraud clients who trusted him.”
As part of his plea agreement, Russell has committed to paying restitution of over $1.5 million and faces a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years upon sentencing.
This case highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. prosecutors and regulators to combat fraud within the digital asset space. For instance, Arizona’s U.S. Homeland Security division launched a task force earlier in the year to investigate and dismantle criminal organizations exploiting new technologies like cryptocurrencies and the dark web for illicit activities. Notably, the task force was established in collaboration with several federal law enforcement agencies, including the Justice Department.
“The swift conviction in this case underscores this Office’s commitment to holding bad actors in the digital asset markets accountable,”
Attorney Peace further emphasized.
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