Berry

Read

/send

<div class="protos"> 
 <div> 
  <div> 
   <div> 
    <p>Belgian authorities have accused a London fintech business <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="owner" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/owner.html">owner</a> of using Binance to help <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="launder" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/launder.html">launder</a> hundreds of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="million" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/million.html">million</a>s of euros into <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="bitcoin" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/bitcoin.html">bitcoin</a> for the benefit of criminals, including a Belgian drug lord known as the “finger <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="cutter" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/cutter.html">cutter</a>” and a Brazilian drug kingpin equivalent to Pablo Escobar.</p> 
    <p>As reported by Bloomberg, Belgian authorities are seeking to extradite 38-year-old Caio Marchesani from the UK. Marchesani “knowingly and intentionally” laundered the funds of international drug traffickers into bitcoin, authorities say.&nbsp;Two of Marchesani’s alleged clients were Flor Bressers and Sergio Roberto De Carvalho.&nbsp;</p> 
    <p>Bressers, a.k.a. the “finger <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="cutter" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/cutter.html">cutter</a>,” was a notorious drug lord who used pruning sheers to slice off a criminal’s fingers whilst also kidnapping and beating up a Dutch florist who failed to transport his drugs.&nbsp;Marchesani is accused of managing 14 Binance accounts on Bressers’ behalf before he was arrested in February 2022.</p> 
    <p>A Binance spokesperson said the crypto exchange has given “practical operational assistance” to authorities in relation to the investigation. </p> 
    <p>Carvalho was known as “the Brazilian Pablo Escobar.” He was the kingpin for an international drug trafficking operation and was arrested in June, 2022. Carvalho was charged with money <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="launder" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/launder.html">launder</a>ing, falsifying documents, staging his own death, and homicide in pursuit of drug trafficking. </p> 
    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-protos wp-block-embed-protos"> 
     <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> 
      <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="XjlqKdbI2G">
        Four admit to $1.6M Tether scam in Taiwan 
      </blockquote><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Four admit to $1.6M Tether scam in Taiwan” — Protos" src="https://protos.com/four-admit-to-1-6m-tether-scam-in-taiwan/embed/#?secret=TmsHXgfNXl#?secret=XjlqKdbI2G" data-secret="XjlqKdbI2G" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> 
     </div> 
    </figure> 
    <p><em>Read more: ‘Israeli FBI’ busts crypto scam allegedly run by top crime families</em></p> 
    <p>Marchesani supposedly held and <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" title="launder" href="https://thebittimes.com/tag/launder.html">launder</a>ed Carvalho’s criminally obtained cash while charging him suspiciously high transfer rates, prosecutors say. </p> 
    <p>Belgian investigators linked the pair to the smuggling of 12 tonnes of cocaine, worth more than $283 million, that was seized from containers in Rotterdam.&nbsp;Messages were then discovered between Marchesani (under the pseudonym ‘Greysmith’) and Carvalho (under the pseudonym ‘Lucrativeherb’) discussing drug trafficking risks.&nbsp;</p> 
    <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marchesani-held-1-9-million-in-crypto-assets">Marchesani held $1.9 million in crypto assets</h2> 
    <p>Marchesani was arrested at Heathrow Airport in May this year. At his London apartment, a 24/7 guard was found protecting “very large cash sums” alongside £1.5 million ($1.9 million) in crypto assets. His crypto wallet was later frozen.</p> 
    <p>Marchesani is the owner of FCA-approved Trans-Fast Remittance, a payments intermediary company in London. Filing from an employment case reveals that 85% of Trans-Fast customers are Brazilian and that Marchesani wanted to turn the remittance company into an online bank. </p> 
    <p>The FCA told Bloomberg that it’s “engaging” with Trans-Fast “as part of our ongoing supervisory work, including in relation to these matters.”</p> 
    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-protos wp-block-embed-protos"> 
     <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> 
      <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="zZOi4PV133">
        Crypto-using Sky_HIGH fentanyl dealers plead guilty 
      </blockquote><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Crypto-using Sky_HIGH fentanyl dealers plead guilty” — Protos" src="https://protos.com/crypto-using-sky_high-fentanyl-dealers-plead-guilty/embed/#?secret=zFkPiAgkbh#?secret=zZOi4PV133" data-secret="zZOi4PV133" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> 
     </div> 
     <figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> <em>Read more: Steroids for crypto: ‘JuicePal’ sentenced to 8 years behind bars</em> 
     </figcaption> 
    </figure> 
    <p>He is also the chief financial officer and a 50% shareholder of Acai Berry Foods Ltd, a “thriving business focused on healthy eating in a cafe setting” that his Mishcon de Raya lawyers say is the legitimate source of his funds.</p> 
    <p>Marchesani is denying all the allegations while his lawyers claim the prosecution’s case has “false, vague, ambiguous or inaccurate particulars.”</p> 
    <p>He previously failed to apply for bail as UK courts deemed him a flight risk. His lawyers plan to refute his extradition in UK courts on the grounds that investigators are presenting multiple cases at different moments.</p> 
    <p>If convicted by Belgian authorities, Marchesani could face a maximum of five years of jail time. A UK judge is expected to rule on his extradition by the end of September.</p> 
    <p><em>Got a tip? Send us an email or ProtonMail. For more informed news, follow us on&nbsp;X,&nbsp;Instagram,&nbsp;Bluesky, and&nbsp;Google News, or subscribe to our&nbsp;YouTube&nbsp;channel.</em></p> 
   </div> 
  </div> 
 </div> 
</div> 
<p>Source: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thebittimes.com/fintech-owner-laundered-millions-with-bitcoin-for-finger-cutter-drug-lord-police-say-tbt61897.html">https://thebittimes.com/fintech-owner-laundered-millions-with-bitcoin-for-finger-cutter-drug-lord-police-say-tbt61897.html</a></p>

Fintech owner laundered millions with bitcoin for 'finger cutter' drug lord, police say

Table of Contents

TheBitTimes

Other articles published on Sep 7, 2023

Bitcoin HODLer Dominance Reaches New High

GMX Price Forecast 2023: Can Bulls Rebuild Control Over Charts?

XRP Used for International Remittances in Key Asian Markets

Holder Kakap Token SHIB Serok US$100 Juta Sepanjang Pekan Lalu

EOS & Solana (SOL) Wait in the Wings – Why All Eyes Are Now on VC Spectra’s (SPCT) Stage 3 Presale?

HAYVN Partners with Ledger to Deliver Secure Crypto-to-Fiat Off-Ramping

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!