Arrested by the Federal Police in August 2024, Francisley is one of those investigated in a million-dollar scam scheme in the USA.
Bitcoin Sheik fancy dress party
The target of new coverage by Fantástico last Sunday (15), Brazilian Francisley Valdevino, known as the “Sheik of bitcoins”, is the possible person responsible for a millionaire default in the United States.
A partner in the company Forcount, he may have raised US$50 million from 30,000 victims in the US. Investors were attracted by the high profitability promised by the company.
To attract more people, the CEO was actually an actor hired to pose as the executive in charge of the business. In addition to the investigations in the US, the investigation has the support of Brazilian authorities.
Bitcoin sheik returns to jail in Brazil after multi-million dollar default in the US
In Brazil, the Bitcoin Sheik had already been arrested by the Federal Police for his involvement with Rental Coins and the InterAG Group. And in August 2024, after some time at liberty, he was arrested again for continuing his suspicious behavior, in Operation Maracutaia launched by the PF.
In the US, he was a partner in Forcount, alongside a hired actor named Nestor Nunes, who introduced himself as “Salvador Molina”. Arrested in the US, Nestor accuses Francisley of having deceived him into perpetuating his criminal conduct against victims.
While in Brazil the scheme has reached 15 thousand victims, in the United States the number doubles, reaching 30 thousand victims. A lawyer for one of the victims told Fantástico that the criminals flaunted a life of luxury on social media, giving the impression of easy and quick gains from their investments, which in fact did not occur.
It is worth noting that the strong promises of financial gains, associated with cryptocurrencies or bitcoin, are usually just a lure for the infamous financial pyramids.
The bitcoin Sheikh himself was the target of the Cryptocurrency CPI in the Chamber of Deputies in 2023, when he remained silent after a habeas corpus with the STF.
What does his defense say?
In a social media post, the defense of the Bitcoin Sheikh denies that he has defaulted. His lawyer Jackson Bahls stated in an Instagram post that he may have committed at most the error of mismanagement.
“The company never intended to harm anyone’s assets. In fact, what it experienced for a period of time was a financial downturn, poor management of the company. And this actor, in particular, never, ever served as a bridge to harm anyone.”
