Former chief executive officer of cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, has turned himself into the US authorities on Tuesday in the case against the platform, him and other top executives, Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed, for violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

Hayes, a Singapore resident, surrendered in Hawaii six months after federal prosecutors charged them with conspiring to skirt U.S. laws requiring the implementation of money-laundering controls.

As agreed previously, he appeared before a federal judge in Honolulu and was released on a $10 million bond.

Hayes' lawyers said in a statement that the “self-made entrepreneur” had been wrongly accused of crimes that he didn’t commit. Having already voluntarily appeared in court, Hayes now looks forward “to fighting these unwarranted charges,” they added.

Launched in 2014, Seychelles-based BitMEX was first probed by CFTC in 2019 regarding whether the exchange broke the rules by allowing US customers to trade on the platform. Serving US customers requires registration with the agency.

Back in October, the same day charges were unveiled by the agencies; Reed was arrested in Massachusetts while Delo turned himself in March. Delo has vowed to fight the charges, calling them unfounded and an overreach by U.S. authorities. Both have been pleaded not guilty and released on bond.

Gregory Dwyer, the company’s first employee and head of business operations who was also charged, meanwhile remains at large. Dwyer’s lawyers said they have been in touch with the government and have informed them of his whereabouts as well. The lawyers said in a statement,

“They are also aware that he has every intention to defend himself in court against these meritless charges and is eager to do so.”

Similar to Notcoin - TapSwap on Solana Airdrops In 2024

origin »

149 +