Russian police suppose {that a} “crypto influencer” often known as Bitmama, aka the “Queen of Crypto,” might have despatched tokens to help Ukraine’s army.
Valeria “Bitmama” Fedyakina was detained by police in September after an “acquaintance” accused her of fraud.
She stays in custody, and a information community launched a picture, apparently displaying her in a pre-trial detention heart.
Per the Telegram-based information channel SHOT and News.ru, the social media influencer, who’s seven months pregnant, had requested a courtroom to switch her to deal with arrest.
However she was refused this request.
Officers contemplate her a flight threat, as she holds a UAE residence allow.
A department of the Moscow Metropolis Courtroom dominated that she may stay in custody till November 15.
The unnamed “acquaintance” informed police Fedyakina tricked him into handing over some $70 million.
However officers reportedly suppose Fedyakina, a 28-year-old initially from Ukraine, embezzled this cash.
They usually reportedly suppose Fedyakina transferred “half” of the cash she acquired to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Officers additionally consider Fedyakina acquired round $7.7 million from two different people, earlier than “dropping off the radar.”
All three folks stated they needed to make use of the cash to spend money on actual property within the UAE.
Russian ‘Crypto Queen’ Attorneys Say She ‘Doesn’t Help Ukraine’
Fedyakina positioned herself as a sanctions-evading mastermind who may use crypto to switch cash abroad unhindered by banking restrictions.
She celebrated numerous media articles that dubbed her the “queen of crypto” and the “queen of crypto trade.”
The traders stated “Bitmama” informed them she would return their stakes, plus 1% in income in the event that they gave her the cash.
The media shops quoted Fedyakina’s authorized staff as stating that she really “helps” Russia’s “Particular Army Operation” in Ukraine.
The staff added that Fedyakina is definitely “able to donate funds to the [Russian] army.”
The attorneys declare that Fedyakina will likely be separated from her baby after giving start if she just isn’t launched.
The authorized staff claimed that their consumer was being framed, stating that she “withdrew cash on behalf of her purchasers,” however was by no means repaid.
Russian legislation enforcement companies have swooped on suspected crypto donors to Ukraine, with offenders receiving heavy punishment.
In June, a citizen in the Far Eastern territory of Khabarovsk Krai was detained by the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service, and charged with treason after allegedly sending cash to the Ukrainian army.
