A Wellington dude got nabbed in the Auckland District Court last Friday, as part of some FBI snooping into an organized crime gang that supposedly swiped $450 million worth of cryptocurrency. Detective Inspector Christiaan Barnard spilled the beans, saying that a whopping 13 folks got hit with charges after search warrants were busted out in Auckland, Wellington, and even California. The dude was rounded up by the Financial Crime Group in Auckland, among others who got collared after the warrants went down, but he’s the only Kiwi in the mix.
The FBI reckon that between March and August 2024, these sneaky scammers pulled off some shady moves to snatch up the cryptocurrency by fooling seven poor victims. Then, they apparently cleaned up their act by laundering the loot through a bunch of different cryptocurrency platforms. The New Zealand dude was slapped with some serious charges by the US Department of Justice, including racketeering (RICO), scheming to pull off wire fraud, and plotting to launder money. Allegedly, the scammers splurged the stolen digital cash on $9 million worth of fancy cars, loads of luxury gear like handbags and watches, nightclub shenanigans, private security, and renting out swanky homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami.
The Kiwi fella got let out on bail after his stint in the Auckland District Court last Friday, where he scored some interim name suppression. He’s gotta show his face in court again on July 3. Barnard mentioned that the cops have been buddy-buddy with the US law enforcement peeps to help out with their investigation. According to Barnard, the search warrant and arrest today show how vital it is to team up internationally when these crooks are playing around the globe. The police are keeping their lips sealed for now because this whole thing is still an ongoing investigation.