PANews reported on October 16 that Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Juan Tacuri, the main promoter of the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme Forcount (later renamed Weltsys), has been sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison. The scam defrauded thousands of investors worldwide, mainly targeting the Spanish-speaking community in the United States. As one of the most successful promoters of the scam, Tacuri made millions of dollars from it and used the funds to buy real estate and luxury goods in Florida.

Tacuri and others lured victims to invest in so-called cryptocurrency products by hosting lavish events and community promotions, promising daily returns and doubling of investments within six months. However, Forcount did not trade or mine cryptocurrencies, and the funds were actually used to pay old investors through new investor funds while being used for promotion and personal consumption. In the end, most investors were unable to withdraw their profits and lost all their funds.

Tacuri was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $3.61 million in funds and real estate purchased through the proceeds of the scam, and to pay restitution.