The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Juan Tacuri, a senior promoter of the Forcount Ponzi scheme, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Oct. 15. Tacuri was also ordered to pay $3,610,718 in restitution and serve one year of supervised release after his sentence, according to the Southern District of New York.

Prosecutors said Tacuri’s fraud scheme targeted Spanish-speaking communities worldwide, particularly. The 240-month sentence imposed by Judge Analisa Torres represents the maximum possible sentence under the law. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Tacuri was essentially running a Ponzi scheme.

According to details of the Forcount Ponzi scheme, Tacuri and others lured victims into hosting lavish events with promises of regular payments. However, there was no actual product and the money was spent on luxury goods and real estate. Customers reported withdrawal issues starting in 2018, and in 2021, scammers stopped responding to customer complaints. In 2022, U.S. prosecutors announced charges against Forcount founder Francisley da Silva.

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