HashFlare Founders Seek Leniency in U.S. Court Amid Fraud Allegations

According to Cointelegraph, the co-founders of the now-defunct crypto mining service HashFlare are requesting leniency from a U.S. judge after admitting to wire fraud. Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin are facing accusations of orchestrating a $577 million Ponzi scheme, with prosecutors advocating for a decade-long prison sentence. In a sentencing memo submitted to Seattle federal court Judge Robert Lasnik, prosecutors argued that the crime resulted in approximately $300 million in losses for victims. They emphasized the severity of the offense, describing it as the largest fraud case the court has encountered. Potapenko and Turõgin, however, contend that such a sentence would be excessive, citing their cooperation and the time they have already spent in Estonian custody. The two were arrested in Estonia in November 2022 and spent 16 months in custody before being extradited to the United States in May 2024. They have since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and are currently out on bail, with their sentencing hearing scheduled for August 14. In their defense, Potapenko and Turõgin's lawyers argued that despite overstating HashFlare's mining capacity, customers ultimately received cryptocurrency worth more than their initial investments due to the rise in crypto market prices. They claimed that 390,000 customers who invested $487 million in HashFlare mining contracts have withdrawn $2.3 billion, suggesting that the financial impact on customers was not as severe as prosecutors have portrayed. The duo also stated that all potential victims would be compensated, likely from the over $400 million in assets forfeited as part of their plea deal. Prosecutors, however, focused on the magnitude of HashFlare's fraud, labeling it a "horrible crime" that funded the founders' "lavish lifestyles." They alleged that Potapenko and Turõgin sold $577 million worth of mining contracts to around 440,000 customers between 2015 and 2019, using funds from newer customers to pay fake returns to earlier investors. Prosecutors argued that the sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crime and serve as a deterrent to prevent similar offenses in the future. They dismissed the notion that the case should have been tried in Estonia, noting that over 50,000 of HashFlare's customers were based in the U.S., collectively investing more than $130 million. Potapenko and Turõgin are also seeking deportation to Estonia, raising questions about how U.S. courts handle foreign nationals involved in cross-border crypto crimes. Despite a court order to remain in the U.S., the pair claimed to have received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security instructing them to "deport immediately," leading to uncertainty about their future.