US Tries to Snatch Back $7.1M in Crypto from an Oil and Gas Investment Gone Awry! 💰🤦‍♀️

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Well, it looks like the US is on a mission to snag $7.1 million in crypto, all thanks to Homeland Security’s relentless sleuthing! This delightful little treasure hunt stems from a rather suspicious oil and gas investment scheme that might just have been crafted in the basement of a villain’s lair. 🕵️‍♀️💰

The Seattle US Attorney’s Office, who clearly needs a hobby, announced on Tuesday that they’ve filed a fancy civil action to grab a chunk of the $97 million collected by the alleged scam that ran longer than some relationships—between June 2022 and July 2024. Yikes. 🍟

According to Acting US Attorney Teal Luthy Miller (and how great is that name?), the co-schemers were working hard to move their unearned cash through a browser cache of cryptocurrency accounts, like a magician making money disappear before your very eyes. 🎩✨

Now, here’s the kicker: the culprits are reportedly chillin’ in Russia and Nigeria, using poor folks’ money to buy crypto like it’s the hottest new toy on the clearance rack. And then they sent a portion of those funds back home! The audacity! 🇷🇺🇳🇬

One Person Indicted… and They’re Not Even a Celebrity

In the meantime, at least one individual is facing consequences—not the kind you’d get on a reality TV show, sadly. Geoffrey Auyeung was slapped with an indictment back in August 2024, accused of pocketing the majority of the funds from this elaborate game of Monopoly gone wrong. 🥳

It gets juicier! Auyeung allegedly took those stolen funds and dove headfirst into the crypto world like Scrooge McDuck. He was accused of buying Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USDC (USDC), and Ether (ETH) and sending them quicker than you can say “you’re grounded!” to Binance. Cha-ching! 💵

When he got nabbed, the authorities seized almost $2.3 million from his bank accounts, which is a great reminder to check under the couch cushions for spare change. Seriously, who needs that much crypto drama in their life? 🤷‍♀️

The Justice Department alleges that investors were done dirty under the guise of making a buck off some slick oil tank storage facilities, but once people started sending their cash, the schemers decided to ghost harder than that friend who always promises to show up but never does. 🙃

Prosecutors have already identified victims who lost a whopping $17.9 million, and they expect more to come forward once they realize they weren’t just donating to a “Let’s Get Rich Off Oil” GoFundMe. 🐷

If the court rolls over in favor of the $7.1 million forfeiture request, the total reclaimed fund would amount to $9.4 million—which could help ease the pain for the duped victims. Let’s hope their luck turns around, because this generosity is what I like to call a “spicy recovery.” 🌶️

Recent Regulatory Crackdown: Where’s My Smoothie?

In these thrilling recent weeks, regulators have decided to crack down on the not-so-nice actors in the crypto universe. Watch out, bad guys! 🚨

Earlier this month, US prosecutors waged war against two men who endorsed OmegaPro, an alleged scheme that defrauded investors of $650 million. If convicted, they might get to explore prison life for up to 40 years—talk about an unexpected vacation destination! ⛓️

And don’t even get me started on Shane Donovan Moore, a former rugby player who got two-and-a-half years in federal prison for running a $900,000 Ponzi scheme. Hope he brought a good book! 📚😬

Meanwhile, over in Hong Kong, police cuffed four individuals who played a merry game of deception with 3 million Hong Kong dollars (aka $382,000). Too bad the master criminal saw the writing on the wall and veiled themselves outta there like Houdini! 🎭✈️

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2025-07-23 09:56