The U.S. Attorney has unveiled charges against three UK nationals implicated in the “Evolved Apes” NFT fraud case. Mohamed-Amin Atcha, Mohamed Rilazh Waleedh, and Daood Hassan face accusations of wire fraud and money laundering in connection to their alleged scheme.
The trio allegedly orchestrated a “rug pull” scam involving the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from the “Evolved Apes” collection, promising investors a related video game to drive up the NFTs’ value. However, the game never materialized, and the anonymous developer disappeared with approximately $3 million in Ethereum.
Following the scam, the defendants reportedly laundered the misappropriated funds through various cryptocurrency transactions into their personal accounts. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams highlighted the severity of the case, emphasizing that making false promises for financial gain is illegal.
The FBI Assistant Director, James Smith, condemned the defendants’ actions, labeling the NFT scam as a betrayal of buyer trust and business integrity. The accused trio, all aged 23, face charges carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, underscoring the seriousness with which such fraudulent activities are prosecuted.
