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Entrepreneur who tried to combine celebrities, social media and cryptocurrencies faces fraud charges

BlockChainBulletin Staff

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Entrepreneur who tried to combine celebrities, social media and cryptocurrencies faces fraud charges

A California entrepreneur who tried to merge bitcoin culture with celebrities and social media has been arrested on fraud charges.

July 30, 2024, 4:45 PM ET

• 3 min read

NEW YORK — A California businessman who sought to merge the bitcoin culture with social media by allowing people to bet on the future reputation of celebrities and influencers was arrested on fraud charges.

Nader Al-Naji, 32, was arrested in Los Angeles on Saturday on a wire fraud charge filed against him in New York, and civil charges were filed against him by federal regulators on Tuesday.

He appeared in federal court Monday in Los Angeles and was released on bail.

Authorities said Al-Naji lied to investors who poured hundreds of millions of dollars into his BitClout venture. They say he promised the money would be spent solely on the business, but instead directed millions of dollars to himself, his family and some of his company’s workers.

A lawyer for Al-Naji did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said in a civil complaint filed in Manhattan federal court that Al-Naji began designing BitClout in 2019 as a social media platform with an interface that promised to be a “new type of social network that blends speculation and social media.”

The BitClout platform invited investors to monetize their social media profiles and invest in the profiles of others through “Creator Coins,” whose value was “linked to an individual’s reputation” or their “position in society,” the commission said.

He said each user on the platform was able to generate a coin by creating a profile, while BitClout pre-loaded profiles for the “top 15,000 Twitter influencers” on the platform and had coins “minted” or created for them.

If any of the designated influencers joined the platform and claimed their profiles, they could receive a percentage of the coins associated with their profiles, the SEC said.

In promotional materials, BitClout said its coins were “a new type of asset class that is tied to the reputation of an individual, rather than a company or commodity,” the regulator said.

“So people who believe in someone’s potential can buy their coin and become financially successful with it when that person realizes its potential,” BitClout said in its promotional materials, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

From late 2020 through March 2021, Al-Naji solicited investments to fund BitClout’s development from venture capital funds and other prominent investors in the crypto community, the commission said.

He said he told potential investors that BitClout was a decentralized project with “no company behind it… just coins and code” and adopted the pseudonym “Diamondhands” to hide his leadership and control of the operation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said he told a potential investor: “My impression is that even though it’s ‘fake,’ decentralized generally confuses regulators and keeps them from going after you.”

In total, BitClout generated $257 million for its wallet from investor treasuries without registering, as required, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the agency said.

Meanwhile, he said, BitClout spent “significant amounts of investor funds on expenses that had no bearing on the development of the BitClout platform,” despite having promised investors that this would not happen.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Al-Naji used investor funds to pay his own living expenses, including rent on a six-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills, and gave extravagant cash gifts of at least $1 million each to his wife and mother, in addition to funding personal investments in other cryptocurrency projects.

He said Al-Naji also transferred investor funds to BitClout developers, programmers and promoters, contradicting his public statements that he would not use investor profits to compensate himself or members of the BitClout development team.

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Bitcoin

‘This is huge’ — Billionaire Mark Cuban issues ‘incredible’ Bitcoin and crypto prediction amid price slump

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'This is huge' — Billionaire Mark Cuban issues 'incredible' Bitcoin and crypto prediction amid price slump

Bitcoin has surged again this year under former President Donald Trump Cryptocurrency boosts US presidential election in November with ‘revolutionary’ plan.

Subscribe now to Forbes CryptoAsset and Blockchain Consultant and “discover blockchain blockbusters poised to generate 1,000%+ gains” after the bitcoin halving earthquake!

The price of bitcoin has surged to more than its all-time high in recent months, surpassing $70,000 per bitcoin and triggering a wave of mega-optimistic predictions about the price of bitcoinalthough it fell again this week to below $65,000 after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady.

Now, as Elon Musk suddenly breaks his silence on bitcoin and cryptocurrenciesBillionaire investor Mark Cuban called a California plan to digitize 42 million car titles using blockchain an “incredible step forward” and “huge” for cryptocurrencies.

Sign up for free CryptoCodex nowA daily five-minute newsletter for traders, investors, and crypto curious people that will keep you up to date and ahead of the bitcoin and crypto bull market

ForbesElon Musk Suddenly Breaks His Silence On Bitcoin After Issuing Shocking Warning Of US Dollar “Doom” That Could Trigger Cryptocurrency Price BoomBy Billy Bambrough

Mark Cuban, famous Shark Tank investor and billionaire owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, has… [+] called a cryptocurrency update “amazing” amid bitcoin’s price slump.

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The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has digitized 42 million car titles using blockchain, it was reported by Reuters, through technology company Oxhead Alpha on the Avalanche blockchain and designed to detect fraud and facilitate the securities transfer process.

“This is an incredible development for crypto,” Cuban, best known as an investor on TV’s Shark Tank and owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, posted on X, joking that U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler could sue the state as part of his hostility toward cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

“The reason this is huge for crypto is because people who hold the tokens will have an app with an Avalanche wallet,” Cuban said. “Tens of millions of Californians having and using a crypto wallet in the next five years, or however long it takes, normalizes the use of wallets and crypto.”

John Wu, president of Avalanche developer Ava Labs, told Reuters that California’s DMV is “creating a wallet that you can download on your phone.”

Sign up for CryptoCodex now—A free daily newsletter for the crypto-curious

ForbesCryptocurrencies Are Suddenly Bracing For A ‘Very Major’ U-Turn In China After Wild Price Swings For Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRPBy Billy Bambrough

Bitcoin’s price has rallied this year, triggering a wave of bullish bitcoin price predictions from… [+] people like billionaire Mark Cuban.

Forbes Digital Assets

Last month, Cuban predicted that if the US dollar falls as the global reserve currency, bitcoin could become “a global ‘safe haven’” and a “global currency.” potentially sending the price of bitcoin to a much higher level.

According to Cuban, bitcoin could become what its most ardent supporters “envision” — a means “of protecting our economies… This is already happening in countries facing hyperinflation.”

The price of bitcoin has skyrocketed over the past year, largely due to the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, leading a bitcoin attack on Wall Street.

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Large Bitcoin (BTC) Holders Added $5.4 Billion Worth of BTC in July, Data Shows

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Large Bitcoin (BTC) Holders Added $5.4 Billion Worth of BTC in July, Data Shows

Please note that our Privacy Policy, terms of use, cookiesIt is do not sell my personal information Has been updated.

CoinDesk is a awarded media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists follow a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk has been acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Optimistica regulated digital asset exchange. The Bullish Group is majority owned by Block.one; both companies have interests CoinDesk has a portfolio of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial board to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

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Peter Schiff criticizes Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin hype by U.Today

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© Reuters.  Peter Schiff Slams Michael Saylor's Bitcoin Excitement

U.Today – Renowned economist and cryptocurrency critic Peter Schiff has criticized Michael Saylor’s recent hype about the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies as a strategic treasury asset by corporations.

Michael Saylor, a well-known Bitcoin advocate and president of MicroStrategy, recently shared his enthusiasm on X about the growing adoption of Bitcoin as a strategic treasury asset.

Citing a comment made by Bitcoin investor Bill Miller in a recent interview with CNBC, Saylor tweeted: “We now have more companies coming forward and saying we will put Bitcoin on our balance sheet as a strategic treasury asset.”

However, not everyone shares Saylor’s enthusiasm. Schiff, a vocal Bitcoin critic and gold bull, was quick to respond with his usual skepticism. In a pointed tweet, Schiff argued: “Bitcoin is neither strategic nor appropriate as a treasury asset. Companies should not risk shareholder funds. They should pay dividends and let shareholders risk their own money.”

Bitcoin enthusiasts are not intimidated

However, Schiff’s criticism shouldn’t deter Bitcoin enthusiasts, who often take Schiff’s words with a pinch of salt. To put things in context, Michael Saylor began buying Bitcoin in 2020 as an inflation hedge and alternative to money. Saylor’s company, MicroStrategy, is among the largest public holders of Bitcoin in the world. As of June 20, it held 226,331 BTC, purchased for around $8.33 billion at an average price of $36,798.

Over the weekend, Schiff was surprised when 87% of the more than 11,000 Bitcoin holders who responded to his X survey said they would not sell any of their Bitcoin even if the price dropped more than 99% to $120. They said not only would they not sell, but that they would continue to buy even when prices dropped.

Schiff unexpectedly revealed that “the main selling point for investors to buy Bitcoin is its excellent past performance record.”

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $66,067, having reached all-time highs of nearly $74,000 in mid-March.

This article was originally published on U.Today



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Bitcoin Falls as ETF Flows Reverse, Mt. Gox Moves Billions

BlockChainBulletin Staff

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Bitcoin Falls as ETF Flows Reverse, Mt. Gox Moves Billions

In a week of drastic fluctuations, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) has retreated from its highs and is currently trading at US$66,250, down 0.9% in European trading.

This volatility comes on the heels of a significant surge above $70,000 earlier in the week, fueled by former President Donald Trump’s ambitious cryptocurrency plans announced in a Bitcoin Conference in Nashville.

Trump’s announcement to fire Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler and establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve if elected president has temporarily sent the cryptocurrency market into a frenzy.

However, the excitement was short-lived as a series of events unfolded which caused investor sentiment to sour.

A significant sell-off of about 8% was triggered when the US Marshals Service moved $2 billion in Bitcoin for new wallets.

This move has reignited fears of a potential large-scale liquidation, compounded by lingering concerns over a possible Bitcoin liquidation from Mt. Gox. Early this morning, Mt. Gox administrator transferred US$2.2 billion value of your BTC assets in a new wallet.

Meanwhile, the US Bitcoin ETF spot market is showing signs of fluctuation, according to data from SoSo Value. On July 30, Bitcoin spot funds experienced their first net outflow in five days, totaling $18.3 million.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) saw outflows of $73.6 million, while the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) attracted $74.9 million in inflows. But outflows from other funds left the category in the red at the end of Tuesday’s trading session. The total net asset value of spot Bitcoin ETFs currently stands at a substantial $58.5 billion.

In other crypto news, Ripple (XRP) is up 8.6% in the past 24 hours, hitting over 64 cents – its highest point since March 25, according to CoinGecko. data.

This rally comes amid a scheduled token unlock and growing optimism around a potential deal in the long-running SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit.

The crypto community is closely watching the SEC’s actions, particularly its intention to amend its complaint against Binance regarding “Third-Party Cryptocurrency Securities,” which some interpret as a positive sign for Ripple.

On a market analysis noteSingapore-based cryptocurrency trading desk QCP Capital wrote that while election headlines continue to dominate, several crucial macroeconomic events loom on the horizon.

“Election headlines will continue to be a key focus, but several key macroeconomic events are also on the horizon. Key events starting with the FOMC meeting on Wednesday, megacap tech earnings (Apple, Amazon, Meta) throughout the week, and unemployment data on Friday,” QCP Capital wrote.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

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