​Two more individuals involved in the Forcount crypto Ponzi scheme, a Brazil-based scam that defrauded Spanish-speaking investors out of $8.4 million between 2017 and 2021, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. According to reports from CoinDesk, Nestor Nunez, 66, and Antonia Perez Hernandez, 49, separately pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on July 22.

Prosecutors allege that Nunez, a Spanish citizen, was paid to pose as the CEO of the Forcount scheme, using the alias “Salvador Molina.” The mastermind behind the scheme was reportedly 39-year-old Brazilian national Francisley Da Silva, who was arrested by Brazilian authorities in 2022. Hernandez, on the other hand, was a senior promoter of the scheme.

The Forcount scheme targeted Spanish speakers all over the world between 2017 and 2021, often through extravagant promotional events. The promoters promised high returns based on profit-sharing from non-existent crypto mining and trading activities. Court documents reveal that the promoters enticed victims with promises of “financial freedom” and flaunted their own wealth, including luxury cars and designer clothing, while simultaneously stealing investor deposits and laundering their ill-gotten gains through shell companies and real estate.

Juan Tacuri, 46, an American citizen and co-conspirator of Nunez and Hernandez, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June. As part of his plea bargain, Tacuri agreed to forfeit $4 million in criminal proceeds and real estate purchased with victim funds. He is set to be sentenced on Sept. 24 by District Judge Analisa Torres, who is also overseeing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) case against crypto company Ripple.

Nunez is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 11, while no sentencing date has been set for Hernandez yet. Both face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for their involvement in the Forcount scheme. 

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