Former Terra CEO Do Kwon Enters Not Guilty Plea In Landmark $40 Billion Crypto Trial
The post Former Terra CEO Do Kwon Enters Not Guilty Plea In Landmark $40 Billion Crypto Trial appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur and co-founder of Terraform Labs, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a series of criminal fraud charges in a Manhattan federal court. This comes just days after his extradition from Montenegro, where he had been detained for over a year. His case centers around the collapse of TerraUSD and Luna (LUNC), which collectively lost an estimated $40 billion in 2022. Ordered To Remain In Custody Following Court Appearance According to a Reuters report, federal prosecutors unsealed a nine-count indictment accusing Kwon of multiple offenses, including securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Related Reading Dressed in an olive green long-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants, Kwon appeared in court alongside his lawyer, Andrew Chesley, who indicated that they would not seek bail at this time. Following Kwon’s plea, US Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger reportedly ordered him to remain in custody. Do Kwon left the courtroom with a copy of the 79-page indictment, and he is scheduled to return for another hearing on January 8. The Fallout From Do Kwon Alleged Fraud And Market Manipulation In June, Kwon reached a civil settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), agreeing to pay an $80 million fine and accept a ban from participating in cryptocurrency transactions. This settlement was part of a broader $4.55 billion resolution related to alleged misconduct in the management of Terraform Labs. The indictment details how Kwon allegedly misled investors about the stability of TerraUSD, a stablecoin designed to maintain a value of $1. In May 2021, when the stablecoin’s value began to falter, Kwon reportedly claimed that a computer algorithm known as “Terra Protocol” had successfully restored its peg. In reality, prosecutors allege that Do Kwon orchestrated a scheme involving a high-frequency trading firm to…
Filed under: News - @ January 2, 2025 9:18 pm