Jobadiah “Joby” Weeks has plead guilty to two counts of BitClub Network related fraud. As per the terms of a plea agreement reached with the DOJ, Joby Weeks has pled guilty to conspiring to offer and sell unregistered securities and tax evasion. I don’t recall specific figures pertaining to Weeks’ tax evasion being included in his original BitClub Network indictment. As per the plea agreement; Weeks agrees that he willfully evaded tax reporting requirements for the taxable periods 2015 to 2018. The parties agree that the combined tax loss … is greater than $3,500,000 but less than $9,500,000. One can imagine Weeks’ anti-government beliefs and use of cryptocurrency played a significant role in him dodging taxes. The two counts of fraud Weeks has pled guilty two carry consecutive statutory prison sentences of up to five years each. A statutory monetary penalty will also be applied. The plea agreement also requires Weeks to pay restitution to BitClub Network victims.Pending Weeks’ satisfying the terms of the plea agreement, the DOJ will not pursue any further BitClub Network or tax fraud actions. This includes dropping the wire fraud count in Weeks’ indictment. Week’s plea agreement was accepted by the court on November 5th. On November 6th bond was set at $2 million dollars. To secure his release, four properties in the US belonging to Weeks and family members have been offered as surety. Pending Weeks providing pre-trial services with a travel itinerary and a custodian arranging to travel with him from New Jersey to Colorado (presumably a family member), Weeks will be released to home incarceration with location monitoring. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 17th, 2021. Weeks’ guilty plea brings the number of BitClub scammers who have pled guilty to three. Programmer Silviu Catalin pled guilty in July. Promoter Joe Abel pled guilty in September. The DOJ’s case against ringleaders Matthew Brent Goettsche and Russ Medlin continues. Thanks to Oz @ BehindMLM https://behindmlm.com/companies/bitclub-network/joby-weeks-pleads-guilty-to-bitclub-network-fraud/Thanks for your update on this. I heard about the court case outcome elsewhere and logged back in specifically to see if you had written about it -- very informative summary. Please keep up the great work in exposing scammers!
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I've been following the situation for a while and wrote up an article on it, also have a post about it in the Exchanges section which will hopefully help increase awareness. Sounds like they are selectively letting a few people withdraw BTC, but others with bigger balances are still locked out. 
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Pretty weird that this got moved to the Exchanges board. But whatever. It does indeed pertain to exchanges so I can't complain. I'd like to know more about the connection between Trade Satoshi in Cryptopia. The founder and designer of Cryptopia got caught attempting to arbitrage Safex tokens between Cryptopia and Trade Satoshi by moving them directly from hot wallet to hot wallet. From an article on Altcoinbuzz: We reached out to one of the delisted projects, SafeX. Richard Bate, SafeX advisor, commented:
“Over 18 months ago, Safex was delisted from Cryptopia, apparently due to an “aggressive community member”. The former CTO of Cryptopia, Adam Clark, decided on the spot in Discord to delist Safex because someone (apparently aggressive) asked when the wallets would come out of maintenance.
This seemed like a very unproportional response to a lone member who didn’t represent the entire community. So we did some digging.
Reviewing the known wallets of Safex on Cryptopia, we noticed big trades directly between the hot-wallets of Cryptopia and TradeSatoshi. (The unusual part here is that you don’t deposit to the main wallets on either exchange, you deposit to a personal address so they know how much you’ve deposited.
Our running theory was that someone internally on both sides was attempting to do arbitration trades and managed to lose a lot of Safex in the process.
This was further confirmed later when they didn’t have the Safex to cover the withdrawals of those who had funds left on their Cryptopia account. We saw regular withdrawals from TS [TradeSatoshi] straight to the Cryptopia hot-wallet which co-inside with the timing of when certain members suddenly got their funds back.
The delisting of Safex due to this one community member was a convenient exit strategy so they could save face.
Make it a problem with us, rather than them.
A few months later, we learn that the CTO, Adam Clark, had been “let go” of Cryptopia. My guess is that something was discovered that was bad enough to force one of the founding directors of the company out.
A few months later after that, we find that Adam started working for Trade Satoshi as a Senior Developer.” Adam Clark had a hand in designing the Trade Satoshi website: “Cryptopia, Tradesatoshi and Assetylene obviously all look alike because I made/designed each platform, so I guess I have a style maybe,” he said. https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/24750/cryptopia-founder-plans-to-set-up-new-exchangeIs there a possibility he is behind the downfall of both exchanges, or is simply a case of one unreputable individual helping another?
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The Trade Satoshi exchange announced on Thursday it is closing down on March 1st, giving its users just 10 days from the date of announcement to withdraw their coins. The exchange had been riddled with problems for quite some time, including frequent withdraw delays, account closures, absurdly high withdrawal fees, and the locking of customer accounts for seemingly arbitrary reasons. One of the things making it hard for the exchange's remaining customers to withdraw their coins is the fact that they frequently have been in "maintenance mode" during the last few days, and even when customers can log into their accounts, they see the withdraw option for Bitcoin (and other coins) disabled. Some customers logged into their account only to see new KYC documentation requests, preventing them from attempting to withdraw coins or even cancel trades. Others are reporting that their 2-FA codes are no longer working on Google Authenticator. Whatever the actual reason for the closure seems to be, it would appear that Trade Satoshi seriously does not want customers to withdraw their coins, despite there being only 8 days remaining before the scheduled closure. For a background on the exchange, its operator, and a look into its bizarre connections with Cryptopia, you can read more here: https://coinclarity.com/trade-satoshi-closing-exit-scam-likely/Here is the Twitter announcement, followed by scores of complaints from frustrated users underneath: https://twitter.com/TradeSatoshi/status/1230509341142220800
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Hello, I would like to apply for one of your Editor positions. I have extensive experience editing crypto-related publications, press releases, blog entries, and white papers. Recently I finished editing a 3000-word article for 1miau. I am a full-time crypto writer for the website coinclarity.com, and you can find a list of my most recent articles here. Some of the relevant subjects on which I have written include: - cryptocurrency and blockchain-related news - the blockchain and different consensus algorithms (PoW, PoS, DPoS, etc.) - ICOs (including analyses, white papers and promotional content) - price movement, technical analysis - guides on how to use wallets, sign up for exchanges and use DEXs - gambling and casinos (reviews, how-to manuals) - blockchain use outside of cryptocurrency - guides on how to identify scams and avoid them - interviews with industry members, traders, blockchain-related business owners - descriptions of altcoins, crypto-related products, casinos and exchanges Feel free to send me a PM or reply here if you think I might be of service to you. Thanks for your consideration.
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Quantum Hedge Fund has now roped in Godfrey as their Fund Advisor (alongside other usual suspects). It's either an extreme lack of due diligence on the team's part or just your usual cash grab. Betting the farm on the latter. Exit scam in 3.. 2... I checked the Quantum Hedge bounty thread. Its up to 114 pages of bounty signups and reports, and contains exactly 1 post by the bounty manager. There's no way they are keeping track of this stuff. I suspect in the end they will end up shafting most bounty participants out of what they are owed. Not that it matters because the token will be useless anyway. Godfrey is great at doing 1 thing: collecting money. He's an absolute disaster when it comes to everything else. His involvement in a project almost assuredly spells doom for its investors. Here's what he had to say about Keplertek, which was 100% a scam:  Basically, his judgment is observably terrible.
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I can recommend the service CoinClarity is offering here. I requested a proofreading (around 3,000 words) and CoinClarity delievered fast and professional work. Service selected at 11:50 AM and CoinClarity delievered at 5:20 PM. Would choose it again, good job!  Thanks 1miau for the endorsement! It was a pleasure working for you, please feel free to let me know if you should need additional proofreading in the future.
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Greetings. I can do this for you for that amount. I have been a crypto news writer for over 3 years and I do a lot of crypto-related proofreading and editing for different clients. You can find a list of my most recent articles here. I have a Services thread here. Please feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions. Thanks! Accepted, I'll send you a PM in a few minutes. Many thanks @everyone else who applied, it wasn't easy to decide who's getting the job.  Job done and paid. Thanks 1miau for the prompt payment!
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Yeah this happens on occasions to all of us I guess. Mine were usually resolved in a period of 12-24 hours.
OK, thanks for the input. It's quite simple really.. If you need your 0.005BTC ASAP, don't gamble with it.
I needed to make a deposit to withdraw a "no deposit" bonus. I didn't think they would just sit on my funds. The real gamble was assuming they would process my withdrawal.
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Hello, I have a problem with FJ and am looking for community input or preferably a resolution: I've had a FortuneJack account for 2 and a half years and do a fair amount of promotion for FortuneJack on one of the websites for which I write articles. Usually I just log into my account for research purposes but occasionally I deposit small sums of coin there as well. Occasionally I get a text message telling me I have a 5 mBTC "no-deposit bonus." This time around, I activated the bonus and managed to grind through the 40x rollover requirement. Of course the bonus wasn't automatically awarded to my account because you have to make a 0.005 BTC deposit in order to receive the "no-deposit" bonus. On the face of it, the name of the bonus is misleading, even though their bonus terms & conditions does say the following: After completing wagering requirements for no deposit bonus, the funds will be pending until you have deposited at least 0.005 BTC (or its equivalent in other cryptocurrencies)... Not wanting to be too much of a stickler for semantics, I deposit the 0.005 BTC, play through it 1x in the slots, and manage to win a bit more. The bonus amount is then credited to my account. One or two minutes after attempting to make a withdrawal, I get an email titled "Withdrawal Delay," saying: "Hello, Dear xxxx We are reaching out regarding your latest withdrawal. Your current withdrawal is going under standard security check, it may take longer than usual, as all transactions are checked by our security team. If there is an additional need to confirm withdrawal, we will send you the confirmation letter to your registration email. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Yours in luck and good fortune." So I'm wondering, how long do I have to wait for? Its been 2.5 hours so far. Has anyone else experienced this issue in the past? I saw one guy SyGambler had the issue and it looks like his was resolved within an hour or two. I really need this BTC ASAP and if I knew this issue was a possibility then there's no way I would have made my deposit. Thanks for reading.
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Greetings. I can do this for you for that amount. I have been a crypto news writer for over 3 years and I do a lot of crypto-related proofreading and editing for different clients. You can find a list of my most recent articles here. I have a Services thread here. Please feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions. Thanks!
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1. The entire buy side orderbook for TAO is less than 0.1 BTC. If I were you I would sell what you can now. Its not going to get any better for you. 2. The language in the Alt Market TOC says this: I am 13 years of age or older or have obtained my parents’ permission Basically Bryce is giving the go-ahead to pre-teenage children to trade on his exchange. It may not be illegal but it's certainly morally questionable. 3. It seems to me that Tao passes the Howey Test as being a security by any sort of reasonable standard: In order for a financial instrument to be dubbed a security and fall under the purview of the SEC, the instrument must meet these four criteria:
- It must be an investment of money - With an expectation of profit - In a common enterprise - With the profit to be generated by a third party. All Bryce did for 3 years was talk about how awesome Tao was going to be, how it was going to do this and that for artists and the music industry and the sky was the limit. This is a tweet of his from Oct 2018:  Tao's current price: somewhere between $0.03 and $0.08, depending on if you're selling or buying. Just don't understand how you're comfortable with promoting a project designed by someone with a track record of utter failure. And that's as kindly as I can put it.
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"Alt Market ecoystem token"? That's not what TAO is? Sounds like Bryce is gearing up his hapless band of child investors for yet another fleecing. When signing up, you have to check this box: I am 13 years of age or older or have obtained my parents’ permission 13 or have obtained my parents' permission?  Why doesn't Alt Market publish its trading data publicly? Why do you have to be a member of the exchange in order to view it? The whole thing is sleazy AF. Just because you lack clarity about things doesn't make it sleazy, silly. I'm assuming from your familiar writing style and the established pattern of using throwaway and alt accounts that you're one of the trolls who have hovered around this thread for years. I will walk you through part of it, but I am tired of holding your hand when you're so determinedly obtuse about everything. You can get it or not; really makes no difference to me at this point. Trust me, I get it 100%. Bryce is a conman and you are shilling for him -- your investment must be down at least 98%, so I don't understand why. But regardless of what your motivation is, you are the throwaway alt account. You have 10 merits son. None of which were earned. You haven't exactly been contributing this forum in any meaningful or decent way during your stay here. Catering to pre-teens as your target demographic seems downright immoral. Obviously they haven't developed the mental capacity to be able to conduct something like securities trading, yet here you are, defending Bryce's decision to allow them to do so. Do you recognize these words? https://coinclarity.com/spotting-a-scamcoin-number-1/ You will now. The only reason I'm here is because Bryce decided to talk shit on Twitter. Ask him what I'm talking about. Frankly, I don't know how you can live with yourself. But it doesn't seem to be a problem for most sociopaths. Bryce included. Have a great day.
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"Alt Market ecoystem token"? That's not what TAO is? Sounds like Bryce is gearing up his hapless band of child investors for yet another fleecing. When signing up, you have to check this box: I am 13 years of age or older or have obtained my parents’ permission 13 or have obtained my parents' permission?  Why doesn't Alt Market publish its trading data publicly? Why do you have to be a member of the exchange in order to view it? The whole thing is sleazy AF.
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I recently finished a dozen or so articles on darknet markets and am looking for new work.
In the past few months, I've also
- written several press releases for a crypto advertising agency - edited a couple ICO white papers for clarity and technical accuracy - written about 20 articles on top crypto casinos, their game offerings & their bonuses - written about sportsbooks - provided editing services for a website
If you need assistance for any of these things or those mentioned in the OP, please don't hesitate to contact me -- let's make a deal. I've yet to have a dissatisfied client.
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I have a small problem with a bet. I bet on today's NCAA Men's basketball game, Hawaii to beat UTEP by 3.5. Got my bet in before the tip off. End up winning the bet, only to find that my bet was cancelled afterward. The reason being they decided, after the game was over, that I bet after tip off, as they are referencing an article written before the tip off that says the scheduled tip off time is 11:40 EST. Meanwhile the actual tip off time was 11:49.  Here is the message for the "i" (information) symbol: I know my bet was before the tip off as I was watching the game. Due to a TV scheduling interference, they delayed tip off from 11:30 to 11:49 -- why wouldn't they just stop accepting bets at 11:40 if they are using an article written before the tip off as a reference for tip off time? Basically, I feel I should have won this bet and would like to get some assistance in being awarded my winnings. Thanks. Hi! Please send us your Nitro ID via PM. We advise that you contact our support team via ticket on the site or send an email to support@nitrogensports.eu for faster assistance. Thank you, Kevin I'm happy to report that they have regraded my betslip with the 11:49 tipoff time and adjusted my balance to reflect the winnings. Just thought I would share that they indeed corrected this. I am contacting in regards to the college basketball match between UTEP vs Hawaii, which was played last night. The match was supposed to start right after the previous basketball game finished (official starting time was 11:30pm EST). This previous match had a delay and UTEP vs Hawaii’s tip-off was moved to a few minutes later. Therefore, official timestamp was posted at 11:49pm EST for this match (you can confirm this change at: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sports/2019/12/20/watch-utep-miners-hawaii-basketball-tv-stream-diamond-head-classic/2679144001/and tip-off at: https://twitter.com/UTEP_MBB/status/1208972844287217664). This change was impossible for us to confirm at that moment; fortunately, we were able to reconsider the cut-off and we regraded your betslip according to the correct score and timestamp. We apologize for any inconvenience that this situation have caused you. We hope this explanation cleared your concerns towards this small fix. Regards, Rocco
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I have a small problem with a bet. I bet on today's NCAA Men's basketball game, Hawaii to beat UTEP by 3.5. Got my bet in before the tip off. End up winning the bet, only to find that my bet was cancelled afterward. The reason being they decided, after the game was over, that I bet after tip off, as they are referencing an article written before the tip off that says the scheduled tip off time is 11:40 EST. Meanwhile the actual tip off time was 11:49.  Here is the message for the "i" (information) symbol: I know my bet was before the tip off as I was watching the game. Due to a TV scheduling interference, they delayed tip off from 11:30 to 11:49 -- why wouldn't they just stop accepting bets at 11:40 if they are using an article written before the tip off as a reference for tip off time? Basically, I feel I should have won this bet and would like to get some assistance in being awarded my winnings. Thanks.
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I'm not in any way trying to protect Coinmarketcap, but they did just launch a new metric by which they rank exchanges, called Liquidity. IMO it should be used as default. If you sort exchange volume by Liquidity instead of Reported, it makes a lot more sense:  I wrote an article for it last month if you're interested in learning more about how it works: CoinMarketCap Fights Fakers With New MetricWhoops, just saw this message, you beat me to it. Sent you a merit.
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Satoshi referenced Wei Dai and Adam Back in his white paper, and he was certainly aware of Chaum, so I don't think you can call it "stealing" their idea -- he simply expanded upon them and ended up creating something greater than their combined parts. I'm quite certain none of the people mentioned above would attempt to take him to court for copyright infringement, not only on lack of grounds but also out of respect for him. Craig Wright, on the other hand, perhaps might.
Do you see anything published about Bitcoin by Craig Wright before 2009? - https://dblp.org/pers/hd/w/Wright:Craig_S= The guy only started publishing something about the Blockchain in 2017.  That's besides the point. These guys have valid claims on some of the technologies that were used in Bitcoin, so they might sue him/her if Satoshi turned out to be some a$$hole like Craig Wright.
So far none of the parties you mentioned above have mentioned a beef with Satoshi. I'm not sure their copyright claims would be enforceable anyway. The answer to your question is, no, nobody would or is going to sue Satoshi, not now, not ever. I think he more likely didn't want to face the scrutiny of world governments after developing a competing form of currency.
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