Elite Footballers Named in $3.4 Million Crypto Fraud Case – Decrypt

Six elite footballers, together with World Cup winners and former Barcelona and Sevilla stars, are going through fraud allegations after a crypto firm they promoted vanished with tens of millions in investor funds, leaving 1000’s holding nugatory digital tokens.

Barcelona’s Fifth District Courtroom has launched a legal investigation right into a crypto and NFT scheme allegedly fronted by a bunch of Spanish and Argentine businessmen, with promotional assist from the gamers, in line with an El Periodico report.

Filed by 12 victims earlier this 12 months, the case accuses Shirtum Europa SLU and its promoters of defrauding traders out of not less than $3.4 million (€3 million) by the sale of non-functional NFTs tied to footballer picture rights, bought with the corporate’s in-house token, $SHI. 

Amongst these named within the criticism are World Cup winners “Papu” Gómez and Lucas Ocampos, ex-Barca gamers Ivan Rakitić and Javier Saviola, in addition to Nico Pareja and Alberto Moreno.

The alleged masterminds, Argentine businessman David Rozencwaig and Catalan entrepreneurs Manel Ángel Torras, his son Marc Alberto Torras, and Manuel Morillas, are accused of making a “complicated company construction” in Spain and Andorra, designed to evade taxes and keep away from private legal responsibility.

The criticism contains 13 skilled studies and a monetary evaluation by high economics professor Prosper Lamothe, who describes the corporate’s construction as intentionally opaque and tax-evasive.

The NFTs have been marketed as unique digital collectibles, some priced at over $513 (€450), however have been by no means made tradable or supported by a functioning platform.

Shirtum allegedly used gamers’ reputations to construct credibility, presenting them as “founders” and public ambassadors, in line with the criticism cited by native studies. 

In March 2022, Shirtum claimed it had suffered two huge crypto thefts and was the sufferer of a hack, but no police report was ever filed. 

In the meantime, investigators say funds have been siphoned for private use, and the Shirtum platform was quietly deserted. 

The footballers served as promotional faces for the enterprise, with “Papu” Gómez—a detailed good friend of alleged ringleader David Rozencwaig—allegedly recruiting different gamers after selling himself as an organization “founder” earlier than systematically erasing all Shirtum proof from social media alongside his fellow gamers.

Massive names, massive losses

“This Shirtum Europa case actually reveals how difficult issues can get with crypto and NFTs,” Mohith Agadi, founding father of decentralized fact-checking system Reality Protocol, advised Decrypt. “Individuals see massive names like soccer stars and assume it’s a protected guess, however that belief could be exploited.”

The Shirtum scandal factors to the unstable relationship between Spanish soccer and crypto partnerships. 

A ban on playing promoting carried out in 2021 prevents La Liga groups from agreeing such offers with betting corporations, making a sponsorship vacuum that crypto companies rushed to fill.

Nevertheless, this crypto embrace has confirmed problematic. 

Many La Liga golf equipment have been left with “defaults, complaints, and an expertise to neglect” after partnerships with crypto sponsors soured, with a number of Spanish golf equipment now suing their crypto companions for unpaid sponsorship charges.

As Agadi famous, “Blockchain’s nice for monitoring transactions, however scammers use it to faux legitimacy too.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair