Horst Jicha discusses cryptocurrencies.
Source: Team Business Global | Youtube
A German citizen is under house arrest in New York City $5 million bond Sponsored by his common-law partner and children case Among them, he is accused of overseeing funds worth $150 million. Cryptocurrency Scam now one fugitive.
“There is a very active investigation underway to catch him,” John Marzulli, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, said Friday. Horst GuiczaFailure to appear in Brooklyn federal court as scheduled.
“We will waive bail,” Mazzulli added, meaning prosecutors will seek to secure the $4 million portion of the bail held by Jicha’s partner, children and three others, all of whom live in Germany. ) personal guarantee.
An additional $1 million in cash has been deposited with the federal government to secure the bonds.
Horst is suspected of tampering with his ankle bracelet monitor On October 3, a prosecutor from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn told the judge at a hearing on Thursday that the hearing was supposed to resolve pretrial issues in the case.
After noticing that Guicha’s anklet was not working, pretrial services officials sent him an email instructing him to come to their office the next day. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Aurelia Merchant that Guicha failed to appear in court.
Prosecutors told the judge that prosecutors were not notified by pretrial services that Jicha’s anklet had stopped working, 26 hours after becoming aware of the fact.
Guitsa’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNBC has requested comment from the Brooklyn Federal Court Pretrial Services Division.
U.S. Attorney Bren Pease issues a statement following a court hearing for former U.S. Rep. George Santos in West Islip, New York, August 19, 2024.
Michael M. Santiago | Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images
Jicha is scheduled to appear in court on March 31 to face multiple charges securities fraud and conspiracies related to multi-level marketing schemes. USI Technology.
According to prosecutors, Jicha lied to retail investors, telling them they would earn an average return of 140% within 140 days.
Investors were told they could make money in two ways: First, they could invest in so-called Bitcoin mining and trading operations. The indictment against Jicha alleges that they also earned commissions by recommending others to purchase USI Tech products.
“In reality, the platform was just a front, and when things went wrong, Jicha stole millions of investors’ funds and fled the country,” FBI Assistant Director James Smith said in January.
As of Friday, Jicha’s whereabouts were unknown. Court records show he lived in Brazil and Spain before his arrest in Florida in late 2023.
Jicha was released on bail in January and has been living in Brooklyn.
Under the conditions of Jicha’s release, he is obligated to remain in New York City or Long Island and is not allowed to leave his home except for court appearances, attorney visits or medical treatment unless authorized by pretrial services.
Jicha, 64, was also required to hand over all passports and travel documents as a condition of his release.
Jicha’s $5 million bail was secured and signed in January by his common-law partner, Ewa Jicha, and Jicha’s adult bond, court records show. Jicha’s son and three daughters, as well as the boyfriend of one of Jicha’s daughters and the boyfriend’s brother and father, court records show.
All are residents of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, according to court records.
But under the terms of the bond, they are also personally responsible for the bond amount.
After Horst Jicha was released, Ewa Jicha served as his third-party guardian and was required to report any release violations to a U.S. probation officer.
Jicha was arrested in Miami on December 23, entering the United States for the first time in more than five years.
Prosecutors said Jicha launched USI Tech in Europe as co-founder and CEO, claiming the company would make cryptocurrency investments “easily accessible to ordinary retail investors.”
“In effect, this was a multi-level marketing scheme that relied on investors to recruit other investors below their level to purchase various purported cryptocurrency investments,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in January.
“In 2017, Jicha brought USI Tech to the United States and actively promoted it to U.S. retailers through social media and on-site demonstrations. In his demonstrations, he falsely guaranteed high investment returns and made false statements about the legality of the platform’s investment products. ” the office said. There are multiple videos on YouTube showing Jicha promoting the company.
In early 2018, after USI came under regulatory scrutiny in the United States, it “stopped all U.S. operations overnight, preventing investors from accessing their funds and causing millions of dollars in losses.”
Prosecutors said most of the funds missing from the scheme, “worth approximately $150 million as of the date of his arrest,” were held in the following forms: ether and Bitcoin Cryptocurrency. After USI Tech ceased operations, cryptocurrencies were sent to digital deposit addresses controlled by Jicha.
