Roman Zimian, the co-founder of crypto trading platform FutureNet, has been arrested in Montenegro, according to reports in local media.
The arrest of Zimian in Podgorica was carried out by Montenegrin police together with Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB), and resulted in the seizure of "technical devices" related to his alleged criminal activities.
Zimian, a Polish citizen, was the subject of two international arrest warrants from Poland and South Korea. A police statement published in local media outlet Vijesti noted that Zimian was suspected of having "damaged a large number of people from the territories of Poland and South Korea," through fraud amounting to $21 million.
Zimian founded FutureNet in 2014 with business partner Stefan Morgenstern. The company launched digital ad packages, along with a cryptocurrency, FutureCoin, before being exposed as a "large-scale international pyramid scheme," according to an 2022 Interpol press release announcing the arrest of its founders in Greece and Italy.
BitClout Founder Charged With Fraud by SEC and Justice Department
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has hit the founder of decentralized social network BitClout with fraud charges, alleging that he lied to investors and used their cash to fund a lavish lifestyle. In a separate indictment, the U.S. Department of Justice simultaneously hit Nader Al-Naji, with one count of wire fraud, alleging that he defrauded investors of $3 million. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that Nader “allegedly lied to get access to millions of dollars, then...
Both Morgenstern and Zimian subsequently escaped from house arrest in Greece and Italy respectively; Morgenstern was subsequently arrested in Albania in 2023.
According to local outlet Radio Slobodna Evropa, Zimian will be brought before the investigating judge of the High Court in Podgorica to determine where he will be extradited to.
This isn't the only crypto extradition battle playing out in Montenegro's courts. Terra co-founder Do Kwon is currently the focus of a jurisdictional tug-of-war between the U.S. and his native South Korea after he served a jail sentence in Montenegro for attempting to travel on forged documents.
Interpol Issues Red Notice for Hong Kong Crypto Promoter 'Coin Young Master'
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued red notices for two Hong Kong crypto promoters. Per South China Morning Post, Wong Ching-kit, known as "Coin Young Master," is wanted on one count of fraud and two counts of theft, while his associate Mok Tsun-ting is sought on two counts of money laundering. According to reports in local media, the red notices were issued at the request of Hong Kong's police force. Police sources declined to comment on the case, stating that t...
Both countries seek his extradition to face criminal charges relating to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022. In the latest "final" decision from the court, the Montenegro Appellate Court upheld its decision to extradite Kwon to South Korea earlier this month—but the decision was postponed as the court examined procedural issues.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
