A man dubbed the ‘Bitcoin Pharaoh’ who conned investors into handing him money he falsely said he would invest in cryptocurrency has been charged with ordering the murder of a competitor.
Glaidson Acacio dos Santos and five others are charged with the attempted murder of Nilson Alves da Silva in the city of Cabo Frio in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro on 20th March.
Da Silva, 44, was shot at least twice inside his luxury car as he stopped at a traffic light in Cabo Frio. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition, but ultimately survived the attack.
Judge Janaina Pereira Pomposelli of the 2nd Criminal Court of Cabo Frio accepted the complaint by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, 14th December.
The perpetrators of the alleged crime are also being investigated for their involvement in the murder of cryptocurrency investor Wesley Pessano in the city of Sao Pedro da Aldeia.
The investigation, led by police chief Carlos Eduardo Almeida, found that Da Silva ran a cryptocurrency investment scheme, like Dos Santos.
It is not clear if Da Silva’s business was genuine or if it was a scam like Dos Santos’. Either way, Da Silva was viewed by Dos Santos as a competitor.
The police believe the motive for the crime was news spread by Da Silva in January that Dos Santos would be imminently arrested by the Federal Police.
Because of this, Da Silva said Dos Santos’ clients should withdraw their investments from Dos Santos’ business, GAS Consultoria Bitcoin, and invest them with Da Silva’s own scheme instead.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said Dos Santos ordered Da Silva’s murder, fearing he could lose tens of millions of Brazilian reais if he lost clients to his rival.
Dos Santos was indeed arrested by the Federal Police for heading a sham cryptocurrency investment scheme.
He was already in prison when he allegedly ordered Thiago de Paula Reis, one of his must trusted men, to hire hitmen to bump Da Silva off.
Reis has since denied the charges against him.
According to the police, the perpetrators of the attempted murder were Fabio Natan do Nascimento, Chingler Lopes Lima and Rafael Marques Gregorio.
They also named Rodrigo Silva Moreira as the intermediary between Reis and the three hitmen, saying he was responsible for negotiating fees and also watching Da Silva’s movements.
The police, after seizing mobile phones, determined that plans for Da Silva’s murder had been underway since February.
According to the court, Do Nascimento has a past conviction for drug trafficking and there are ongoing criminal cases against him for concealment of a corpse and three counts of murder.
He is currently a fugitive from justice.
Lima was arrested for receiving stolen goods on 7th August. He was apprehended while driving in the car used in the killing of Pessano.
Moreira has previously been charged with theft, racketeering and embezzlement.
Reis has several complaints against him for domestic violence, and there is an open case against him for embezzlement. His preventive detention has been ordered, but, along with Moreira and Gregorio, he is currently on the run.
Dos Santos promised his customers a 10 percent return on their Bitcoin investments. However, according to the investigators, he never even invested the money in cryptocurrency.
Despite only earning BRL 800 (GBP 106) per month as a waiter on paper, he threw a birthday bash in February with popular singer Joao Gabriel performing.
He had over BRL 7 million (GBP 929,000) in three suitcases seized from a helicopter two months later. The money was being transported to Sao Paulo by a couple who worked for GAS.
In addition to GAS Consultoria Bitcoin, at least 10 other companies in Cabo Frio purporting to offer a quick return on investments are under investigation.
