Thread by @innercitypress

OK - in #OneCoin trial in #SDNY court of US v. Scott, opening arguments this morning at 9:30, any lawyers' arguments before Judge Ramos first. Yesterday's Inner City Press story innercitypress.com/sdny16onecoini… & more on patreon.com/posts/31319011 Below, today's thread

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Assistant US Attorney Demase says government has a witness today who is 75 years old & that he might ask leading questions.
Scott's lawyer Devlin-Brown says given the testimony of this witness, he'll tell the jury Scott is charged with the money laundering side

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Judge Ramos says all of the #OneCoin jurors have arrived on or before, so they'll enter and arguments begin right at 9:30 am. And now he thanks them.
Government to start its opening statement: "The OneCoin crypto currency was absolutely fake and worthless."

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA Julieta V. Lozano cites Ruja Ignatova, says it was a fraud from the beginning. "OneCoin compared itself to real crypto currencies like BitCoin. But OneCoin was a total sham."

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA Lozano: OneCoin claimed it would have a meteoric rise. Victims all over the world wired in money. But when they tried to withdraw their money, they couldn't. This fraud brought in billions and this is where the defendant came in.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: The profits couldn't be sent directly to Ruja. That would be too obvious. And banks stopped doing business with OneCoin. So Ruja sought the assistant of money launderers like Mark Scott.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Scott established a sham investment fund shortly after he first met Ruja. At the end of the day, defendant used it to clean Ruja's money and sent it right back to her.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Scott did everything he could to cover up that the money came from OneCoin and belonged to Ruja. He lied to banks... He falsified documents to make the transfers appear legit.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: After learning the US was investigating, Ruja hopped on a plane, took a one way trip from Bulgaria, and disappeared.
The defendant, however, was still the money man. You will hear from a fund manager...

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Make no mistake, Ruja's brother is a criminal. But you will hear from him..

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: You'll read for yourself the defendant's emails, that these were nothing more than shell companies. You'll see his emails to banks and fund administrators, full of the defendant's lies and the source of money flowing to the phony investors

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Inner City Press question: so, Konstantin Ignatov's cooperation agreement - where is it? And what does it mean for Ruja herself? patreon.com/posts/31319011

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK [Inner City Press has asked US Attorney's office about Konstantin Ignatov]
Now Scott's lawyer Devlin-Brown: Scott "tried to do everything the right way... But Ruja" made it impossible. "Mark is a stubborn guy... he continued to ask Ruja for information."

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown: Mark is one of the people Ruja lied to. Mark did not know.
[He stops to introduce to jury his partner David Garvin, who will be cross examining the 75 year old witness / victim later today]

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Scott's lawyer Devlin-Brown has boiled down Scott's argument to five chapters. About the first, he cites a fake crypto currency. "Forget crypto," he says. Pulls out a dollar from his wallet. "Why did anyone take this?"

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Scott's lawyer Devlin-Brown tells jury: "Konstantin Ignatov took over as the public face of OneCoin after his sister disappeared and even he didn't know that there was no blockchain. That's how closely the secret was held." The argument: how was Scott to know?

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown: Ruja was a difficult person to work with. She was eccentric and paranoid. She insisted on speaking on crypto phones. She was better at giving orders than taking advice.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Scott's lawyer Devlin-Brown emphasizes to jury that Ruja at Locke Lord didn't just hire Scott but also Robert Courtneidge ["Siobhan Moore succeeds Robert Courtneidge, who has been named CEO of intl payments business Moorwand. Courtneidge will continue relations

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown: "They signed off on this $60 million oil deal in Madagascar." Mark Scott asked, Can we get that wire out? But they wouldn't. Scott answered all their questions. You're going to hear Mark at the end of his wits...

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown's Chapter 4 is about Scott keeping a "litigation reserve," an issue that came up in the pre-trial conference Inner City Press covered. Now Chapter 5 is about Scott getting married and buying cars. "He paid taxes on that money."

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown: 3 things before I sit down. This is not about whether investors who bought OneCoin were hurt, and if Mark should pay them. This is a criminal case. 2) beyond a reasonable doubt. 3)
AUSA makes an objection.
Judge Ramos: Overruled

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Devlin-Brown: hindsight is 20-20. You're going to hear about a fraud, and you're going to hear Ruja's brother testify about it.
[Inner City Press has asked US Attorney's office: which day will he testify?]
Devlin-Brown: Scott is not guilty. His opening's done.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Government's first witness: William Horn.
AUSA Demase: how old are you?
Horn: 76.
AUSA: Do you have any grandchildren?
Horn: Yes.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Mr. Horn, are you familiar with MLM?
Horn: Yes. [Something to do with make-up].
AUSA: Are you familiar with OneCoin? It is also multi level marketing?
Horn: Yes. I got involved in 2015, October or November.
AUSA: What did Mr. West tell you about OneCoin?

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Horn: West told me OneCoin was growing, there was a lot of money to be made, it was the "BitCoin killer."
AUSA: Did you invest in OneCoin?
Horn: I gave Mr. West five one hundred dollar bills... You got tokens of $6000 ... uh, process called mining.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Who led the roll out in North America for OneCoin?
Horn: Guy from South Florida... Leto...
AUSA: Are you familiar with the name of Ruja Ignatova?
Horn: Yes.
AUSA: Did you ever meet her?
Horn: No.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: What was your impression of Ruja Ignatova?
Horn: Very smart. Very believable.
AUSA: Did you go to OneCoin's Houston Texas event?
Horn: Yes.
AUSA: Were there are rules?
Horn: You could not bring you cell phone. You could not record audio or video.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: When you registered with OneCoin, where were you told to say you lived?
Horn: US Virgin Islands.
AUSA: Let me show you this government exhibit, 2803.
Horn: It's the wire transfer I made to buy the OneCoin package on January 20, 2016

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: How much did you wire for it?
Horn: $20,000.
AUSA: What did you tell your bank?
Horn: That it was for educational purposes.
AUSA: Now Exhibit 2810.
Horn: It shows different packages and levels of investment, from on the OneCoin website.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA: Let me turn to the back office environment you described. [Shows exhibits]
Horn: That is an area of the website, seemed legitimate, it was called dashboard.
AUSA: It showed the number of coins you had?
Horn: Yes. This screenshot is from Feb 28, 2016

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Judge Ramos declares a break. This thread will continue. For now, put-together Periscope videos from yesterday and this morning on the way to the trial:

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Now in #OneCoin trial US gov't is showing video of Ruja Ignatova's birthday party in May 2016 - Inner City Press has requested from US Attorney's office access to exhibit(s) as got in #Honduras & #6ix9ine trials - watch this feed

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Judge Ramos has his hands crossed as he watched video of Ruja's birthday party, vibraphone and drum machine. #OneCoinTrial

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA Folly: Mr. Ignatov, when did you next seen Ruja?
Ignatov: At the London Coin Rush.
AUSA: [Why] did Ruja offer you the personal assistant job?
Ignatov: She needed someone she could trust.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Now US playing video of OneCoin's "London Coin Rush" - again, Inner City Press has asked US Attorney's office for access to the exhibits as they've given in other recent trials, waiting.

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK AUSA Folly: Approximately how many people attended the London Coin Rush event?
Ignatov: three to five thousand people.

Ignatov describes OneCoin's "Ambassador to Europe" at the event in sunglasses, "like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Now US plays video called "Doctor Ruja and the block chain," complete with techno music and M.C. saying, "Are you having a good time? Are you having a very good time?" He introduces Ruja...

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK M.C. - "this will be the biggest welcoming on stage that anyone has ever seen... for our creator, our lovely Doctor Ruja - one, two, three - 'This Girl Is On Fire!'"

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK On the video, Ruja: "Today one and one half years after we launched our crypto currency OneCoin... we will be number one... The BitCoin Killer.. I must say, I like it"

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK US still playing Ruja videos, the one in which she announced that everyone's number of OneCoins will be doubled. "This will happen only once!"

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK In Courtroom 318, Konstantin Ignatov is in prison blues with neck & arm tattoos in same witness stand fellow cooperator #6ix9ine was in with face tattoos) as AUSA Folly displays photos of Sophia #OneCoin office that defendant Scott visited pscp.tv/w/1OyJAeonYZzJb

@MatthewLeeICP @sdnylive @TheACFE @CoinUp24 @Svrakata @widell_ari @JamieJBartlett @ezCoinAccess @Jackiejourno @JenMcAdamUK Judge Ramos says, It's almost 2:30, let's stop for the day and continue tomorrow. AUSA Folly was still questioning. Scott's lawyers' cross-examination will be for all the marbles, as they say. Inner City Press and Patreon stories soon