On July 3rd, Bloomberg Law News reported that a federal court in Illinois had ordered the cryptocurrency hedge fund Jafia LLC and its head, Sam Ikkurty, to pay $84 million to settle fraud charges brought by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Judge Mary Rowland stated that Sam Ikkurty made numerous false claims about Jafia’s cryptocurrency hedge fund operations, including misleading statements about his own experience in cryptocurrency trading.
According to reports, Sam Ikkurty deceived investors by promising high and stable profits from cryptocurrency trades but instead used funds from new investors to pay earlier investors, a fraudulent scheme known as a “Ponzi scheme.”
Additionally, he was accused of using investment funds for personal purposes without notifying investors, resulting in significant financial losses and damaging investor confidence in the cryptocurrency market.
The court found that Jafia LLC operated non-transparently under Sam Ikkurty’s management and violated CFTC regulations. Therefore, the $84 million fine will compensate harmed investors and partially restore public trust in the financial system. Judge Mary Rowland emphasized that such fraudulent behaviors violate the law and undermine the foundation of the modern financial market.
