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Crypto Schemer Juan Tacuri Gets Life in Ponzi Hell
Juan Tacuri, a senior promoter in the Forcount cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Tacuri reaped millions of dollars from his participation in the fraud, which targeted Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S. and spanned the globe.
‘With this guilty plea, Juan Tacuri is being held to account for taking advantage of retail investors and selling them a fabricated investment opportunity,’ said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. ‘Tacuri brought in millions of dollars in victim funds — funds the victims could not afford to lose — and spent it lavishly on luxury goods and real estate.’
Forcount was a purported cryptocurrency mining and trading company that promised to earn its victim-investors profits in exchange for their purchase of purported cryptocurrency-related investment products. In reality, Forcount was not engaging in cryptocurrency trading or mining, and the founder and promoters of the scheme were using victim funds to pay other victims, to further promote the schemes, and to enrich themselves.
Tacuri traveled throughout the U.S., hosting lavish expos and small community presentations aimed at luring victims to invest in the schemes, including in the Southern District of New York. During larger-scale events, Tacuri would present Forcount’s investment products and compensation plan, encourage victims to invest as a means of achieving financial freedom, and boast about the amount of money he was earning, including by wearing designer clothing to such events.
The victims invested in the Forcount scheme by purchasing investment products from promoters, such as Tacuri, using cash, checks, wire transfers, and actual cryptocurrency. Following a victim’s investment, they would be provided with access to an online portal where they could monitor their purported returns. While victims saw ‘profits’ accumulate on the scheme’s online portal, most victims were unable to withdraw any of these so-called profits and ultimately lost their entire investments.
Tacuri is scheduled to be sentenced on September 24, 2024, before Judge Torres. The maximum sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 20 years in prison. This Office will not stop pursuing Ponzi schemers like Tacuri, particularly where they target regular, working people who are in dire straits financially.’
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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