I could have put it in stocks. It just wasnt there. Investors tried to pull their money from Quadriga, but sometimes faced month-long delays. Up to C$250 million (US$190 million) in cryptocurrency owed to 115,000 customers was missing[2] or could not be accessed because only Cotten held the password to off-line cold wallets. Many believe that Cotten faked his death, however, as part of an exit scam to get away with stealing millions from Quadrigas customers. Likewise, the public was not much intrigued about their lives up until . Cotten neglected to pass on the passwords to the accounts, and in 2019, when investigators tracked down Cotten's digital wallets, all the money was gone. His will was signed off just two weeks before he and wife Jennifer Robertson travelled to India on their honeymoon. However, it was eventually discovered that Gerald had transferred all of his belongings to his wife before his death. Tong Zou is one of thousands of customers left seriously out of pocket following Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten's mysterious death in 2018 at the age of 30. Many believe that Cotten faked his death, however, as part of an exit scam to get away with. At this point, lots of investors think that Cotten, a man alleged to have a history of scamming, really had faked his own death. "So far, nothing's been found. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. I personally believe that Cotten is not dead but I would like to hear from people who know more than me about this topic and what they think about the situation. [47], Gerald Cotten's widow has maintained that she knew nothing about her husband's activities and agreed to forfeit $12 million in assets. Was a recently-active Skype account proof he was still alive? thinks that Gerald is deadnor did he ever meet his wife. The firm launched in 2014 amid a spectacular rise in the price of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and was handling $1 billion in trades by 2017. "At that point, we were desperate to recover funds and we were also convinced that a scam was underway," said QCX-INT, an individual who uncovered online documentation of Mr Cottens history of fraudulent behaviour, speaking anonymously to the CBC this year. And, wildly, was Jennifer, his wife, even. Another "appears to have been used to receive Bitcoin from another cryptocurrency exchange account and subsequently transfer Bitcoin to the Quadriga hot wallet" on 3 December. Thinking that Jennifer had murdered Cotten, the Telegram group spiraled out of control. He was one of the wealthiest people in the crypto world, and his company was at its pinnacle. The couple were on their honeymoon in India, where Jennifer had dreams of opening an orphanage. NOW WATCH: Netflix is headed for a huge profit milestone in 2018, Personal Finance Insider's picks for best cryptocurrency exchanges. [51], A documentary titled Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery about the story of Gerald Cotten premiered at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. In other news, Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 4 to release Fall 2023, confirms new trailer, Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King | Official Trailer | Netflix, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vW2BPQ15OSw/hqdefault.jpg. So his spiral down into a life of crime was either pure greed or him seeking the thrill. Check out: Personal Finance Insider's picks for best cryptocurrency exchanges. [53], A Netflix documentary titled Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King about the story of Gerald Cotten was released in March 2022. Netflix announced an upcoming documentary about the Quadriga Bitcoin saga and the death of CEO Gerald Cotten. In December 2018, Cotten died during his honeymoon with his wife, Jennifer Robertson, in Jaipur, India. The circumstances are dodgy that they chose to honeymoon to India and he suddenly dies from complications of Crohn's disease. The OSC. But, due to the strict security of crypto, we may never know. His death sparked online debates and string theories on Reddit and. One source in the doco goes as far as to claim Cotton may have used a substance known as "Haitian zombie powder" to fake his death. Disclosure: Mathias Dpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member. Gerald Cotten is a bitcoin millionaire from Canada whose death, supposedly from complications relating to Crohn's disease, is now being questioned. Robertsons sister, for the record, doesnt think that Cotten had fabricated his relationship with Jennifer. It was a perfect match, sparked up on Tinder, she said in the documentary. Neither Costodian or Quadriga could access the funds. In 2019 the exchange ceased operations and the company filed for bankruptcy with C$215.7 million in liabilities and about C$28 million in assets. Cotten passed away from complications that arose from Crohns disease while on a honeymoon in Indiaapparently taking some $215 million of customer funds to the grave. [17] Michael Gastauer, Chief Executive of WB21, has been named in a civil lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a US$165 million fraud. Did Cotten fake his own death, investors began to ask, absconding to lands anew under a new name and a surgically rejigged face? To add credence to the theory that he faked his own death and is still alive, Bloomberg reported that the crypto exchange founder filed his will just 12 days before he apparently died. So what exactly happened to Cotten, and is he still alive somewhere sitting on a mountain of stolen crypto? Netflix has seen a boom with its true-crime docuseries, from 'Tiger King' to 'Making a Murderer.' He died just nine days into his honeymoon due to an acute stomach ache. His clients were locked out of about $250 million, and investigators later. I'm new to this subreddit, I apologise if anything I have said breaks the rules. [6], Ernst & Young was appointed as an independent monitor while Quadriga was granted temporary legal protection from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. But even the forensic accountants only managed to trace $46 million of the total $215 million customers had deposited onto the exchange. The user said that he left the company in 2016, and that the company was legitimate at the time. , and found an affidavit from Robertson saying that she didnt understand how QuadrigaCX operatedeven though one of Robertsons companies later wired cash to some of Quadrigas customers. I didnt know that Gerry was married, he says. Cotten was the only one with access to necessary permissions. [11] Lawyers for the customers of the exchange have asked that Cotten's body be exhumed.[12]. [1], The company's CEO and founder, Gerald William Cotten, allegedly died in 2018 after traveling to India. They also found a substantial amount of money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle for the couple, including the use of private jets and luxury vehicles. Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Quadriga Fintech Solutions was the owner and operator of QuadrigaCX, which was believed to be Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange. So, Patryn: shit-stirrer, criminal mastermind or another one beguiled by Cotten? An official investigation concluded that Quadriga was"an old-fashioned fraud wrapped in modern technology". Gerald Cotten, 30, died abruptly in December 2018 of complications relating to Crohn's disease while on honeymoon in Jaipur, India, with his wife, Jennifer Robertson. I didnt know that Gerry was married, he says. In that case, $851 million entrusted to Crypto Capital had been "lost, stolen or absconded with", according to the suit. The tech-savvy individual traced domain names, links, and trades on the blockchain, discovering a lengthy track-record of schemes, from Mr Cottens early days on TalkGold, to his association with a business partner named Michael Patryn. Robertson has denied any knowledge of her husband's wrongdoing - and in 2019 returned $9million to the company to repay users. His body was repatriated to . Cops believe that Quadriga CX was actually an wide-ranging Ponzi scheme - and Cotten would use fake accounts under the name "Chris Markay" to "buy" his customers Bitcoin using fake cash. Netflix's 'Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King' explores the story of Gerald Cotten, founder and CEO of Canadian crypto exchange business QuadrigaCX, whose passed away unexpectedly in 2018. No longer a likable nerd, investors thought that Gerald, now sceptre, had been operating scams since he was 15. Overcast with rain showers at times. Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 4 to release Fall 2023, confirms new trailer, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. "I kept asking them: Where's my money? [19] Other than a few contractors, it had no employees, offices or bank accounts thereafter. A new Netflix true-crime documentary is tackling a bizarre story from the world of cryptocurrency. Quadriga had four employees in 2015 with offices in Vancouver and Toronto, but ran out of money by June 2015. ", "Vancouver crypto exchange, CIBC clash over frozen accounts", "Judge rules with CIBC, grants possession of disputed Quadriga funds to Ontario Superior Court", "The fintech 'genius' accused in $165m fraud", "Crypto Firm Cited in Bitfinex Case Had Also Worked With Quadriga", "Quadriga co-founder served time in U.S. for role in identity-theft ring, documents reveal", "Criminal Past Haunts Surviving Founder of Troubled Crypto Exchange", "Crypto firm CEO with $190 million password did die in Jaipur hospital", "Cryptocurrency Exchange Says It Can't Access $190 Million After CEO Unexpectedly Died", "Millions in cryptocurrencies frozen in Canada after only person who had password dies in India", "Crypto Exchange Founder Filed Will 12 Days Before He Died", "Quadriga CEO, whose death ignited a cryptocurrency storm, a kind man with taste for fine things, say friends", "Crypto Exchange Mystery Deepens as Board Seeks Court Protection", "Crypto exchange Quadriga files for creditor protection", "Quadriga mystery deepens with little evidence of cold wallets containing $250M", "A Crypto-Mystery: Is $136 Million Stuck or Missing? Zou trusted Quadriga CX, Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with C$500,000 (305,000). Image Source: Social Media. Investors who believed that Cotten had faked his own death and ran away with the money had made one huge assumption: that Cotten had money to steal. Customers reported that once they arrived, there was nobody in the office, or that there was no cash to be disbursed. Here Is Why People Think Gerald Cotten Is Still Alive. Then Cotten took a turn for the worse: he went into cardiac arrest three times; the third time, the doctors couldnt revive him and declared him dead. Resides in Beverly Hills, CA. Gerald and Jennifer kept most of their relationship away from the public. Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten died in 2018, taking password to access funds with him Credit: Netflix. The estate includes an airplane, a sailboat, a 2017 Lexus, and real estate in Nova Scotia and Kelowna, British Columbia. TRUST NO ONE: THE HUNT FOR THE CRYPTO KINGFollow a group of investors turned sleuths as they try to unlock the suspicious death of cryptocurrency multimillionaire Gerry Cotten and the missing $250 million they believe he stole from them. After his death in December, his colleagues said that about $137 million in cryptocurrency belonging to about 115,000 customers was held offline in "cold storage" and inaccessible. Cotten In 2013 was looking for a programmer to help him create a bitcoin marketplace using the account name Murdoch1337 on a BlackHat Forum and this account was last seen active in August 2019 at this point he should have been "dead" for a long time. A big chunk of it was given to him by his parents. The funeral, according to a Redditor claiming to be a contractor for QuadrigaCX, said that it was a closed-casket affair, and that Jennifer was fake grieving and dancing at the funeral to bacchanalian excess, and even kicked out Geralds family. [45], In June 2020, the Ontario Securities Commission officially concluded that Quadriga was indeed a fraud and a Ponzi scheme. G erald Cotten was 15 when he ran his first documented get-rich-quick scheme. Mar. Is Gerald Cotten really dead? The thing about conspiracy theories, though, is that they mutate out of control very quickly, and arent always reflective of the latest evidence. [15] He learned about Bitcoin in Toronto and travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he founded Quadriga in November 2013 with Michael Patryn. Ernst & Young was able to recover $24m in cash and $9m in assets held by Robertson. There's only two people who really know what happened in India. On 10 December, a death certificate was issued by the local municipality as well as a "no objection certificate" from the police to return the body to Nova Scotia. It is highly unusual for only a single executive to be the one with access to a company's fund, further muddying the waters around what happened to Cotten. So the. [17], In 2016, Cotten became the sole director of Quadriga when all the other directors resigned. Gerald Cotten, 30, held the virtual keys to a whopping $137 . [7][8], Quadriga co-founder Michael Patryn was identified by The Globe and Mail as Omar Dhanani, who was convicted on identity theft charges in the U.S. and served 18 months in Federal prison. goes to Cottens hospital in India to put the whole fake death thing to bed. I really prayed it wasn't a scam. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Quadriga CX was left owning its 76,000 investors around $215million (CAD). [33] Aaron Matthews served as Director of Operations. One of the. [43][44] On 13 December 2019, the court-appointed law firm representing the exchange's former users sent a letter to the RCMP asking that they exhume Cotten's body to confirm his identity and verify a cause of death. He is believed to have carried out Ponzi scheme scams since he was just 15 - such as playing a role in pre-crypto digital token eGold, according to investigator Amy Castor. While Robertson has possession of the laptop containing the necessary passwords, she remains locked out. Was Patryn, whom employees described as a macho, terrifying character, calling the shots, not Cotten? His body was embalmed and sent back to Canada for a closed-casket funeral. Then it emerged that Jennifer had legally changed her name three times in the past few years, and a man sharing one of her former last names was at the center of an unsolved murder case. Still, all this evidence was circumstantialinvestors hadnt yet found a smoking gun. reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. Jennifer, scared for her safety, entered a safe house. Then the Ontario Securities Commission opened an investigation. Netflixs latest true crime doc, "Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King",seeks to unravel the mystery of Gerald Cotten, the CEO of crypto exchange QuadrigaCX, who died in 2018. There was no autopsy on the body, for instance, and Cotten had signed his will two weeks after he diedleaving his riches to Jennifer. [48], On 5 February 2019, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Michael J. Gerald Cotten was the founder of one of Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Quadriga CX. at the time Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange, Gerald Cotten, 30, died in questionable circumstances, Canadian company founder took crucial password to the grave. [34][35], On 14 January 2019,[36] Quadriga announced that their CEO, Gerald Cotten, had died the month prior from Crohn's disease while doing volunteer work at an orphanage in India. The OSC found that after 2016, QuadrigaCX stopped producing consistent data about its holdings, and that large volumes of cryptocurrencies were being sent to foreign crypto exchanges. Some speculate that Cotten, who suffered with Crohn's disease, might actually be alive. Fake trading: I'm almost certain that he was trading with fake crypto, Chris Markay was one of the accounts that Cotten used to trade his "crypto" he also is known to have other aliases Sceptre Gerry, Aretwo Deetwo and Seethree Peaohh. At this point, lots of investors think that Cotten, a man alleged to have a history of scamming, really had faked his own death. And not even he thinks that Gerald is deadnor did he ever meet his wife. Criminal probes continue by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI as leading digital investing publication Coindesk branded his death as the "crypto's biggest mystery". The investors found more questions than answers. [50], Quadriga's lawyer, the firm Stewart McKelvey, withdrew from the case due to a potential conflict of interest. Cotten encrypted and stored about $190 million worth of his customers' Bitcoin caches and held sole responsibility for the passwords needed to access those funds. Gerald Cleophas Betzen, 68. Dying from Crohn's disease when only 1.6% of sufferers from this disease die of it and to happen to die from . [17] In June 2017, Quadriga announced that they had lost ethereum worth US$14 million due to a smart contract error. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Then the Ontario Securities Commission opened an investigation. Have something to tell us about this article? The podcast was hosted by Takara Small. [3][4][5], Quadriga likely never invested the funds entrusted to it, according to Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency tracking firm. Since his death, Cotten has been recast as a habitual scammer who would enjoy the thrill of knowing he was duping his customers and investors. But the mingling didnt end there: the crypto kingpin also allegedly mixed client money with his own, according to investigators, funding the lavish lifestyle he became known for. #GeraldCotten #QuadrigaCX #Netflix #truecrime #wherearetheynow #gerrycotten #crypto #fraud #docuseries #truestory #biography #whathappenedto ------------------------------------IN THIS VIDEO:Sierra Walker ------------------------------------PRODUCER \u0026 FILMED BY:Chris Stiuso------------------------------------VIDEO EDITED BY:Brianna Raakman: https://www.instagram.com/brianna_raakman/ November 28, 2022 by Nurudeen. Did he Die? Now . 5 Gerald Cotten, 30, died abruptly in December 2018 of complications relating to Crohns disease while on honeymoon in Jaipur, India, with his wife, Jennifer Robertson. Someone tracked Patryn to a scam forum called TalkGold, where Patryn talked to one user in particular, sceptre, a bunch. Investigations into the firm revealed that Mr Cotten made numerous fake accounts on Quadriga to influence trades on the platform, at one time being involved personally in 87 per cent of transactions. Gerald Cotten is allegedly meant to have died from Crohns disease after the exchange crashed. Shortly after, the exchange stopped working entirely. Cotten's sudden death in 2018 led to the disappearance of millions of dollars worth of his investors' Bitcoin funds. A C$100,000 trust fund was made to provide lifelong care for Cotten's two chihuahuas in case of Robertson's death. She has also said she has no idea what the passwords are to access sequestered customer funds, and that it wasnt written down anywhere. Re-thinking indemnification for smart contract risks", "Bitcoin investors face long delays cashing out, criticize two B.C. [17][20], In 2017, Bitcoin experienced a speculative frenzy rising in price from about US$1,000 to almost US$20,000. So the Globe goes to Cottens hospital in India to put the whole fake death thing to bed. But even the forensic accountants only managed to trace $46 million of the total $215 million customers had deposited onto the exchange. Was, whom employees described as a macho, terrifying character, that Patryn was involved in a money-laundering ring under a different name, Then, out of the blue, one Mike Patryn joined the Telegram group that investors were using to discuss conspiracies. Its the swindler story you havent heard of until now. Cotten was young, energetic, passionate about cryptocurrency so when. Netflix has tried to get to the bottom of things in its new 90-minute doc; read on to uncover the wild tale of Gerald Cotten. "Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King". We pay for your stories! He was 30-years-old at the time of his death. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I think there were a couple years when it ran legitimately I dont think Gerry could have imagined a future with money pouring in the way it eventually did.. Mr Cotten, 30 at the time of his death, seemed to be living the dream life of a financial titan. [16] In 2014 only C$7.4 million worth of bitcoin were exchanged on Quadriga. [52], The CBC released a 6-episode podcast about Quadriga and the death of its founder called A Death in Cryptoland. [54], A 2021 8-episode podcast entitled Exit Scam followed the buildup of Quadriga, and investigated whether Gerald Cotten had faked his own death. I personally believe that Cotten is not dead but I would like to hear from people who know more than me about this topic and what they think about the situation. Mr Cottens story is now the subject of the documentary Dead Mans Switch: A Crypto Mystery, which streams on Discovery+, and in the new memoir of wife Jennifer Robertson, Bitcoin Widow: Love, Betrayal and the Missing Millions. We explain how to spot them. While the large increase in volume increased commissions, it also caused cash-flow problems due to the exchange's reliance on external payment processors and its lack of a proper accounting system. In their letter to the RCMP the law firm underlined the need for certainty around the question of whether Mr Cotten is in fact deceased. - October, November, December - during all that time," he said. Then, out of the blue, one Mike Patryn joined the Telegram group that investors were using to discuss conspiracies. Netflix announced an upcoming documentary about the Quadriga Bitcoin saga and the death of CEO Gerald Cotten. "[46] The Official Ontario Securities report on Quadriga is attached here. And meanwhile, Dead Man's Switch director Sheona McDonald said: "There's only two people who really know what happened in India.". Lived In Los Angeles CA, Austin TX, Van Nuys CA . The young entrepreneur seemed to be at the height of his success, traveling around the world with his wife, Jennifer, and leading a jet-setting lifestyle. A NEW documentary on rogue crypto trader Gerald Cotton, who took up to $215million in Bitcoin and other digital currencies to his grave, has sparked rumours he may have faked his death. Something was afoot. The public didnt learn about the death for another 36 days, until January 2019. The user said that he left the company in 2016, and that the company was legitimate at the time. Netflix has tried to get to the bottom of things in its, Trust No One depicts Cotten as a nerdy, happy-go-lucky, and charming CEO, who was knee-deep in, reporter that the banks, which didnt trust crypto exchanges, had, The investors found more questions than answers. [9][10], The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were reportedly investigating the company. name was not the same as Robertsons ex-husband, some angry investors lobbed death threats at Jennifer, convinced that she had murdered Cotten, too. He graduated from York in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He graduated from York with a bachelor of business administration in 2010. The 33-year-old has attempted to get his money back in a lawsuit, but hasn't had any luck as yet. After some more digging, the reporter found an order form filled out by one Gerald Cotten. [4] Blockchain analysts have reported that they are unable to find evidence of Quadriga's cold wallets on the blockchain, a public ledger used for cryptocurrencies. Then, the crypto millionaire suddenly died in India from complications from Crohn's disease about three years ago. When Canadian blockchain whiz Gerald Cotten died unexpectedly last year, hundreds of millions of dollars in investor funds vanished into the crypto ether. - Watch Full Details ! Wood ordered a "30-day stay that precludes filing of claims against Quadriga", which is a temporary legal protection from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, a legal status that allows insolvent corporations to restructure their business and financial affairs. #GeraldCottenReallyDead #GeraldCottenStillAliveGerald Cotten Really Dead ? Sign up for notifications from Insider! It essentially removes the need for a central authority. Fourteen trading accounts that were also examined were used to trade on other exchanges. The Globe and Mail reporters were on the case, and used photos to conclude that they were the same person. [28], Quadriga used an unusual teller-window system for customers to withdraw their money. [33], Cotten's will was signed 27 November 2018, twelve days before he allegedly died. The podcast was reported by Aaron Lammer and Lane Brown.[55]. The media dragged Gerald Cotten's wife, Jennifer Robertson, into the spotlight after his mysterious death. He was 30-years-old. Gerald Cotten died suddenly of Crohn's disease - or did he? In January 2014 they installed the second Bitcoin ATM in Vancouver. Cryptocurrency investors locked out of $190m after exchange founder dies, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Finally, the OSC discovered something that cracked the case wide open. Then, as their accounts accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars, Gerald passed unexpectedly, taking the passwords to the accounts to his grave. Stay up to date with what you want to know.

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