HashFlare Founder Faces 10-Year Prison Sentence in $577 Million Fraud Case, U.S. Authorities Call for Stern Action

BlockBeats News, August 7th, Founders of the defunct cryptocurrency mining service company HashFlare, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, admitted to telecommunications fraud and asked a U.S. court to not impose additional prison time, but prosecutors recommended a 10-year sentence for each. The prosecution, in a sentencing memorandum submitted to the Seattle federal court, stated that the two men orchestrated a Ponzi scheme totaling $577 million, causing approximately $300 million in victim losses, making it the largest fraud case ever tried by the court.

The defendants cited their time served in detention in Estonia and their cooperation in the case as reasons for a reduced sentence. (Cointelegraph)