Also today, the self-proclaimed "Crocodile of Wall Street" — Razzlekhan — breaks her silence after being arrested over her alleged role in the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
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Editor's Note: Razzlekhan Speaks
Molly Jane Zuckerman writes...
Do you remember the Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde couple, arrested back in February this year for the crime of laundering the 2016 Bitfinex hack billions?
Do you remember how one half of these alleged crypto criminals, Heather Morgan, also went by the name Razzlekhan and rapped original songs called Versace Bedouin and called herself the "Crocodile of Wall Street?"
Since Morgan and her husband Ilya Lichenstein's arrest back in February, the couple — who previously had something like 10+ social media accounts for all their personalities, and their cat — have been quiet on social media. Lichtenstein, because he is in jail, and Morgan, probably because her husband is in jail.
That silence ended yesterday when Heather "Razzlekhan" Morgan’s verified Twitter account tweeted the following:
"I am not involved in any crypto project. Any crypto or NFT project bearing my name or likeness is a scam that I do not endorse."
Our first thought was — is there another Squid Game token situation in the making? Is someone making bank off of a Razzlekhan(coin)?
At first glance, it doesn't seem like it. There are no Razzlekhan or Heather Morgan tokens listed anywhere that could have prompted such a tweet. A quick search on NFT marketplaces does turn up a few Razzle-related NFTs, but most seem to be already quite old and selling for .01 ETH (or less than $17.)
Why has Heather decided to break her silence now? Her tweet is already gathering some of the bigger Crypto Twitter personalities in its comments section: Cobie responded with "Miss u queen."
In a world where politicians and celebrities are constantly having their likenesses stolen to market crypto scams online, it's not impossible to believe that a fake Razzlekhan NFT drop or DeFi project could be coming, and that Morgan's tweet is a warning.
Or, it could be a fakeout, a way to prime her audience for her own NFT launch, and the tweet is meant to throw us off the scent. Because as Anna Delvey has taught us, you actually can release NFTs from prison.
John McAfee is alive, ex claims 👀
John McAfee isn't dead and is now hiding in Texas, according to his ex-girlfriend. The software entrepreneur's body was found in a Spanish prison cell — hours after a court authorized his extradition to the U.S. on tax evasion charges. But in a new Netflix documentary, Samantha Herrera says she was called by McAfee after his death… and he told her: "Hey, it's me, John — I paid off people to pretend that I am dead, but I am not dead." Herrera also claims that he asked her to run away with him. His wife Janice McAfee — who maintains that his death was not a suicide — has rejected her story as "silly." She added: "Oh how I wish this were true. If John were alive I'm pretty sure he would not be hiding out in Texas."
Voyager slammed over bonuses 😬
Bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital is facing objections over its plans to pay $1.9 million in bonuses to 38 "key" employees. The company says it must incentivize the workers to stay on board because their "invaluable" knowledge is irreplaceable. But the payouts are a kick in the teeth for customers who have been unable to access their crypto savings for nearly two months. In a court filing, a committee representing those affected said: "At a time when thousands of creditors struggle to pay basic personal expenses due to the debtors' flawed business model, the debtors now seek to pay bonuses to their already well-compensated employees." They argue there's no proof that the bonuses are necessary… nor that staff are about to leave.
Coinbase faces another lawsuit… 😱
Coinbase is facing a new class action lawsuit that claims it "does not properly employ standard practices to keep accounts secure." Plaintiff George Kattula has claimed the trading platform "improperly and unreasonably locks out its customers from accessing their accounts and funds" — and this can lead to "severe financial loss." His lawyers estimate millions of people may be affected. Kattula is seeking damages for himself and others in a similar position, alongside improvements to Coinbase's security. He alleges that $6,000 of crypto was drained from his account in a phishing attack — and despite the fact that the fraudsters' IP address was "located far away," the exchange refused to recover the stolen funds. Kattula also claims Coinbase knew "it was woefully incapable, understaffed and overstretched" as user numbers grew.
…as Brian Armstrong gives interview 📺
All of this came as Brian Armstrong gave an exclusive interview to CNBC, in which he revealed that Coinbase wants to make big changes to the way it generates revenue. Trading fees are currently a crucial source of profitability for the exchange — but as a number of rival platforms slash costs, there are fears that this could hit Coinbase's bottom line. Armstrong has revealed that the platform is now focusing on ramping up subscriptions — some of which will allow users to trade unlimited amounts of crypto for a flat monthly fee. He's also expressed ambitions to look beyond the U.S. for growth — and conceded that Coinbase may have been a little too focused on America in the past.
Three men accused of $4m fraud 🚨
Three men in Miami have been accused of defrauding banks and a cryptocurrency exchange out of more than $4 million. The trio allegedly bought digital assets on a trading platform — then told their banks they had been the victims of fraud. As a result, financial institutions were "tricked" into refunding the money. Esteban Cabrera da Corte, Luis Hernandez Gonzalez and Asdrubal Ramirez Meza also allegedly used personal information that had been stolen from other people — as well as fake U.S. passports and drivers' licenses. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has claimed they deceived American banks into believing they were the victims of someone else's fraud — and described the charges as "serious."
