A popular social media influencer known for showcasing her luxurious lifestyle on Instagram and other platforms is facing criminal charges for allegedly committing large-scale crypto fraud.
Russia’s news agency TASS reports that Valeria Fedyakina, also known as Bitmama, is accused of defrauding four people who sustained over $23 million worth of damages.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, which conducted a probe of the case, says that Fedyakina carried out activities as an individual entrepreneur without registration with the tax authorities.
Under the brands “Bitmama” and “Bitmama Finance”, Fedyakina is accused of engaging in over-the-counter buying and selling of cryptocurrencies, providing currency conversion services and international money transfers without bank settlement accounts and using cryptocurrency in transactions that were carried out in Moscow and Dubai.
Fedyakina is also accused of making false claims about her investment program, saying it guarantees income in the shortest possible time. Believing that they were making an investment, the four victims were allegedly deceived into giving the blogger their cash and crypto.
“She had a criminal intent to steal by defrauding funds or cryptocurrency of an indefinite circle of persons under the guise of investing in Fedyakina’s activities.”
Fedyakina was pregnant when she was arrested last year. She gave birth while in the detention center.
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