The US Attorney’s Office has recommended that a lawyer involved in money laundering through the OneCoin cryptocurrency scheme have a minimum sentence of 17 years, deeming it “fair and appropriate.”
Lawyer Damian Williams suggested a minimum sentence of 17 years for Mark Scott, who laundered millions of dollars through OneCoin, in a filing on January 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecutor claims that Scoot “chose to work full time” laundering money for “Cryptoqueen” Ruja Ignatova, who along with Karl Sebastian Greenwood co-founded OneCoin in 2014.
The filling said, “[Scott] engaged in incredibly serious and sophisticated criminal conduct, conduct for which he has failed to accept responsibility and for which he has not shown an ounce of remorse.” Further, it read, “His punishment must match the seriousness of his crime.”
The prosecution presented proof that Scoot knew OneCoin was a fraud scheme, but he “repeatedly and regularly lied and falsified documents” about his association with the company and Ignatova.
Scott’s “abhorrent” behaviour, in which he used his legal position and knowledge to “shield his illegal communications” with Ignatova from law enforcement, led them to call for a minimum 17-year sentence as a suitable deterrent.
“Deterring would-be money launderers, who can often participate in schemes like this at a safe distance from the day-to-day operation of the fraud scheme itself, is critical. Without money launderers like Scott, schemes like the OneCoin scheme would falter and fail,” stated the filing.
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