Stefan Qin, a 24-year-old hedge fund founder who federal prosecutors said defrauded more than 100 people out of roughly $90 million, was sentenced on Wednesday to 7 1/2 years in prison, according to a Bloomberg reporthttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-15/crypto-kid-fraudster-gets-7-1-2-years-for-ponzi-scheme-ktlwfwo2?sref=3REHEaVI.
- In February, Qin pleaded guilty to lying about the performance of his Virgil Sigma Fund LP of New York, which he said exploited differences in cryptocurrency prices on different exchanges, and instead used his investors’ money to fund a lavish lifestyle.
- Qin then attempted to cover his fraud by paying back Sigma investors by dipping into another fund he was operating, the VQR Multistrategy Fund LP of the Cayman Islands. He operated the two funds between 2017 and 2020.
- In sentencing Qin, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York called him “a potentially very dangerous person,” who “deliberately and consciously chose a path” to take advantage of his investors.
- Qin was also fined $54.8 million, representing the proceeds traceable to his offenses.
- Qin faced as much as 20 years in prison for his crimes.
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