Prime interrogators from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are accused of allegedly orchestrating one of many nation’s most audacious crypto thefts—embezzling over $21 million in crypto whereas investigating defunct trade Cryptoland and its CEO, Sina Estavi.
The officers, a part of the IRGC’s intelligence and financial crimes unit, reportedly moved tokens from the trade’s seized belongings into wallets they managed—then offered them for private revenue underneath the guise of a corruption probe.
Court docket filings reviewed by Iran Worldwide level to Mehdi Hajipour and Mehdi Badi, two senior figures within the IRGC’s financial intelligence department, as ringleaders.
Blockchain proof within the report confirmed that wallets managed by Hajipour alone processed over $21 million value of BRG, the platform’s native token.
Previous to the scheme, his complete belongings had been valued at $40,000. 4 months later, his wealth had exploded to over $14.2 million (600 billion rials), which he reportedly used to amass gold, luxurious actual property, and high-end autos.
In March 2022, Hajipour was arrested in a sting operation after accepting a $10,000 bribe from Estavi, who believed he was repurchasing stolen tokens from a 3rd get together.
The id had been fabricated by Hajipour himself. He was later imprisoned at a facility reserved for IRGC insiders and was denied an enchantment in September 2022.
Hajipour and Badi didn’t act alone, based on the report.
The scheme allegedly included not less than two extra IRGC interrogators—Majid Jahan Parto and Majid Tabatabaei—in addition to 4 others who, officers say, cast paperwork to legitimize the transactions.
Dr. Who?
Badi, who operated underneath the alias “Dr. Ebadi,” can be the nephew of a former high-ranking IRGC official, deepening considerations about institutional cover-up and impunity, as per the report.
The scandal traces again to Could 2021, when Cryptoland CEO Sina Estavi was arrested in Iran after being accused of embezzling $20 million.
Identified internationally for getting Block CEO and co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey’s first tweet as an NFT for $2.9 million, Estavi was charged with “disrupting the financial system.”
Following his arrest, Cryptoland collapsed, and over 51,000 Iranians filed investor complaints.
In 2023, Estavi was sentenced to fifteen years in jail, 75 lashes, fines, and a lifetime ban from public service.
However he managed to flee the nation regardless of a journey ban. A video surfaced displaying him in France, and Iran’s judiciary confirmed he had escaped “in violation of authorized prohibitions.”
Although Estavi repaid $14 million to 24,000 customers, over 25,000 buyers stay uncompensated.
The case is a part of a broader internet of crypto-linked crime involving Iranian nationals.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Workplace of International Belongings Management (OFAC) sanctioned Behrouz Parsarad, an Iran-based operator of the Nemesis darknet market, for overseeing the sale of practically $30 million in narcotics.
Parsarad allegedly managed the location’s crypto wallets, took a lower of each transaction, and continues to hunt methods to revive the platform.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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