Gerald Cotten, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange, seemed to be a brilliant young entrepreneur.

He was leading thousands of people into the new world of crypto, where everyone believed their investments were safe.

But when Cotten suddenly died in India in 2019, the truth came crashing down.

Cotten was the only person who had access to the keys that secured nearly $190 million in customer funds.

After his death, those funds were locked away, and people were left helpless, unable to get their money back.

Panic set in as the platform shut down, and over 76,000 people—many who had trusted Cotten with their life savings—were left with nothing.

As investigators started digging, the truth turned out to be much worse than anyone expected.

Cotten had been running a giant scam. He had been taking customer money and using it to fund his lavish lifestyle—fancy trips, expensive properties, and a life of luxury.

He had also been creating fake accounts on the platform and trading fake money with real customers, causing even more losses.

It was all smoke and mirrors.

In the end, it wasn’t just about Cotten’s death. He had been playing with people's trust for years, and by the time it all fell apart, there was almost nothing left.