The partner of the deceased founder of the Bitcoin exchange BitMarket faces 10 years in prison

The Suwalki District Prosecutor’s Office has charged fraud against Martin A., co-founder of the Polish bitcoin exchange BitMarket (.pl), with a prison sentence of up to 10 years, Business Insider Polska reports.

The investigation found that Martin A. misled 525 BitMarket customers, depriving them of a total of 2,300 BTC between mid-2015 and July 7, 2019. The authorities estimate the damage at 22.66 million zlotys ($ 5.78 million).

A separate case concerns fraud in 2019, the damage from which was estimated at 120 thousand zlotys ($ 30.6 thousand).

What is known about BitMarket?

• This is one of the oldest bitcoin exchanges in Poland, founded in March 2014.
• The site ceased operations on July 8, 2019 due to a “loss of liquidity”.
• On July 11, prosecutors launched an investigation into Martin A.
• According to Martin A., in 2017, exchange operators hid a hack, as a result of which hackers stole more than 600 BTC.
• On July 24, the body of co-founder Tobias Niemiro was found in a forest near the city of Olsztyn with a shot head.

Last December, at the request of the United States in Romania , the founder of the Bitcoin exchange Coinflux, Vlad Nistor, was arrested. He was threatened with extradition.

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