Michael Joseph McElhiney 因策划加密货币骗局被判入狱 41 个月

该案件凸显了数字时代欺诈计划的危险。

Michael Joseph McElhiney, a 38-year-old originally from Spokane, Washington, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

来自华盛顿州斯波坎的 38 岁迈克尔·约瑟夫·麦克尔希尼 (Michael Joseph McElhiney) 因策划加密货币骗局，诈骗投资者数十万美元，被判处 41 个月的联邦监狱监禁。

According to court documents, McElhiney operated a fraudulent company called MAC Blockchain Solutions from March 2021 until September 2022. He approached potential investors through various means, including Uber rides, dating apps, and even during online gaming sessions under the alias "Bing Bong."

根据法庭文件，McElhiney 从 2021 年 3 月到 2022 年 9 月经营一家名为 MAC Blockchain Solutions 的欺诈公司。他通过各种方式接触潜在投资者，包括 Uber 乘车、约会应用程序，甚至在化名“Bing Bong”的在线游戏过程中接触潜在投资者。

McElhiney gained his victims' trust by posing as a successful cryptocurrency investor and promising high returns on their investments. He specifically targeted investors interested in emerging cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects, such as Ethereum staking.

McElhiney 通过冒充成功的加密货币投资者并承诺高投资回报来赢得受害者的信任。他专门针对对新兴加密货币和区块链项目感兴趣的投资者，例如以太坊质押。

To make his scam more believable, McElhiney used a fake identity and forged credentials. He also created a website for MAC Blockchain Solutions and used the site Coin.FYI to fabricate positive investment updates.

为了让他的骗局更加可信，麦克尔海尼使用了假身份并伪造了凭证。他还为 MAC Blockchain Solutions 创建了一个网站，并使用 Coin.FYI 网站发布了积极的投资动态。

Despite promising flexible withdrawal options, McElhiney never actually invested the funds he collected from his victims. Instead, he used the money for personal indulgences, such as gambling.

尽管麦克尔海尼承诺提供灵活的提款选择，但他从未真正将他从受害者那里收集到的资金用于投资。相反，他将这些钱用于个人嗜好，例如赌博。

In total, McElhiney defrauded his victims of over $350,000, even accepting rare art and precious metals as payment. When investors demanded their funds, he concocted elaborate excuses to delay repayments.

McElhiney 总共诈骗了受害者超过 35 万美元，甚至接受稀有艺术品和贵金属作为付款。当投资者索要资金时，他精心编造借口推迟还款。

The fraud was eventually uncovered by Homeland Security Investigations and the Spokane Police Department. McElhiney pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in December 2022.

国土安全调查局和斯波坎警察局最终发现了这一欺诈行为。 McElhiney 于 2022 年 12 月承认一项电汇欺诈罪名。

In addition to the prison sentence, McElhiney was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims and to forfeit the proceeds of his crime, which included a 2022 Ford Bronco.

除了监禁之外，麦克尔海尼还被勒令向受害者支付赔偿金，并没收犯罪所得，其中包括一辆 2022 款福特野马。