Start your Independent Premium subscription today. "At that time, there was nothing I could do. Even after Cotten's death news, some people still believe that he is alive, and one of the main reasons is because of his mysterious death. 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. His death left investors locked out of their money and left Jennifer Robertson, Gerry's wife . "[18], The company tried to raise money and list on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) working with Patryn. Despite presenting himself as mild mannered and clean cut, Cotten was found to have had a history of carrying out financial cons - starting when he was just a teenager. It certainly started to look like fraud, said one anonymous investor in the doc. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? So, Patryn: shit-stirrer, criminal mastermind or another one beguiled by Cotten? According to the documentary, thats around the time that Cotten started to invest his money in islands, cars and property, traveling the world while running his exchange. 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. firms", "What happens when your bitcoin banker dies? Uncertainty about the missing funds has fueled speculation that Cotten may still be alive. Still, questions about the missing money only mounted when two. Netflix's 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. [21], Throughout 2018, as Bitcoin prices crashed, customers of the exchange reported delays when attempting to withdraw dollars. Quadriga Fintech Solutions was the owner and operator of QuadrigaCX, which was believed to be Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange.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.. Was a recently-active Skype account proof he was still alive? It's clear to me that Cotten gave himself millions of dollars worth of crypto as the owner to trade people fake crypto and give himself millions of dollars. The user said that he left the company in 2016, and that the company was legitimate at the time. Fifteen years later, Mr Cotten, known as Gerry, would be accused of swindling people online of a much bigger prize. Zou trusted Quadriga CX, Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with C$500,000 (305,000). And why did the Indian hospital that treated Cotten misspell his name on his death certificate? Many believe that Cotten faked his death, however, as part of an exit scam to get away with. Some speculate that Cotten, who suffered with Crohn's disease, might actually be alive. - October, November, December - during all that time," he said. [3][4][5], Quadriga likely never invested the funds entrusted to it, according to Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency tracking firm. We just send money from our Bitcoin app directly to those paper wallets, and keep it safe that way. Cotten's widow has rarely spoken publicly, but in an affidavit has described herself as being subject to "slanderous comments" over accusations her husband faked his death. 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. Citing decomposition concerns, lawyers requested the exhumation be completed no later than spring 2020. 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. [2], In January 2019 Ernst & Young reported that Quadriga did not have a bank account, but instead used third-party payment processors. How Gerald Cotten, the "Crypto King," Really Died - Bustle A C$100,000 trust fund was made to provide lifelong care for Cotten's two chihuahuas in case of Robertson's death. Where Is Gerald Cotten Now? - Vimbuzz.com A 33-YEAR-OLD man lost his life savings after getting involved with a cryptocurrency trader who died, taking the password to access funds to the grave. Gerald Cotten had an estimated net worth of $80 million at the time of his death. I took out three loans from the bank and put it all into crypto. Jennifer RobertsonGerry Cotten,. Quadriga CX was left owning its 76,000 investors around $215million (CAD). California (2) Massachusetts (1) Texas (2) Refine Your Search Results. G erald Cotten was 15 when he ran his first documented get-rich-quick scheme. In January 2014 they installed the second Bitcoin ATM in Vancouver. I could have put it in stocks. 5 You transferred them $1,000 and you could see the crypto in your account. The only catch: only Gerry knew the passwords to the companys crypto-vaults. It has led the pack of other streaming giants, producing the most projects in the true-crime genre as of 2020. [24][25][26], According to court filings, Quadriga also used WB21 as a payment processor. goes to Cottens hospital in India to put the whole fake death thing to bed. Then the Ontario Securities Commission opened an investigation. Is Gerald Cotten really dead? Still, all this evidence was circumstantialinvestors hadnt yet found a smoking gun. CIBC stated that they could not determine the ownership of the money and could not contact Cotten or Quadriga. There's only two people who really know what happened in India. 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. There was no way of getting my money back. Using a reputable custodian to hold the private keys outside the company is perhaps the best option to ensure these codes are not lost, Erik Wilgenhof Plante, the former CCO of the exchange BeQuant, told The Independent at the time. Bitcoin fraudster's widow breaks silence about the missing crypto He was 30-years-old. Gerald died while on a honeymoon with his wife Je In November 2018 the case was decided with the accounts going to the court to decide the ownership individually. The podcast was reported by Aaron Lammer and Lane Brown.[55]. But, due to the strict security of crypto, we may never know. For instance, had Cottens death certificate, which spelled his name as Cott, , been faked? Zou resorted to the cryptocurrency scheme to avoid bank charges when moving Vancouver, shifting his money from the US to a Canadian account. It sucks.". Then, out of the blue, one Mike Patryn joined the Telegram group that investors were using to discuss conspiracies. The podcast was hosted by Takara Small. Netflixs documentary definitely seems to be in the corner that Cotten did die, despite the mystery surrounding his death. However, in 2018, Bitcoin prices crashed and many began withdrawing their funds from Quadriga, except they were being met with error messages before the exchanges website stopped working in 2019. Official investigations into the matter have yet to produce any definitive answers. Netflix announced an upcoming documentary about the Quadriga Bitcoin saga and the death of CEO Gerald Cotten. His body was repatriated to . Where is Gerald Cotten now from Netflix's Hunt for the Crypto - HITC Then, as their accounts accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars, Gerald passed unexpectedly, taking the passwords to the accounts to his grave. Miller Thomson LLP sent a letter to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Friday, requesting authorities conduct an exhumation and postmortem autopsy on the body of Gerald Cotten, founder of QuadrigaCX, citing what the firm called the questionable circumstances around his death earlier this year. A new documentary on his mysterious death called Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery, airing on Discovery+, looks into accusations the crypto king made off with millions in investors' cash. Gerald Cotten was 15 when he ran his first documented get-rich-quick scheme. Still, questions about the missing money only mounted when two Globe and Mail reporters followed up on the case. So his spiral down into a life of crime was either pure greed or him seeking the thrill. March 30, 2022. Despite no concrete evidenceindeed, the murdered mans first name was not the same as Robertsons ex-husband, some angry investors lobbed death threats at Jennifer, convinced that she had murdered Cotten, too. Either this is a 1 in 100 million coincidence or he is still alive. But the money, of course, was still missing. This was more of a gamblers high than a rich guys high as he pursued more and more of other peoples money, the stakes went up. [49], On 5 March 2019, Justice Wood extended Quadriga's court protection to 23 April. The teen, a bright computer enthusiast from Belleville, Ontario, ran the operation on an online forum called TalkGold, and promised his investors inconceivable returns of up to 150 per cent in two days. Gerald Cotten Still Alive ? gerald cotten belize - Fullpackcanva.com Their online exchange launched after the first month. He launched QuadrigaCX in 2013, and it quickly became one of the largest crypto exchanges. 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. Cotten was young, energetic, passionate about cryptocurrency so when. Then you get rid of the fees. I'm new to this subreddit, I apologise if anything I have said breaks the rules. Mom 'stabs 3 of her kids to death and wounds 2 others in unsupervised visit', Daughter of murdered couple linked to Delphi case reveals paranoia, Serena Williams stepmom's debts continue to spiral amid crumbling home battle, Alex Murdaugh looks unrecognizable in new mugshot hours after sentencing, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King. [17], Ernst & Young reported on 6 February 2019 that C$468,675 (US$354,300) of bitcoin were "inadvertently" sent to an inaccessible cold wallet. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Dying from Crohn's disease when only 1.6% of sufferers from this disease die of it and to happen to die from . [31], Robertson filed an affidavit on behalf of the company which included a "Statement of Death" for Cotten, filed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 12 December 2018. His death certificate was issued by the Indian authorities and contains an incorrect spelling of his name. (Neither men were charged in connection with Liberty Reserve). 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. https://bit.ly/3cAIH4j Newest Vid's https://bit.ly/3JkFmEqFollow Us On Facebook https://bit.ly/3oh5cS8Gerald Cotten or Gerry Cotten's life and tragic passing are shrouded in mystery. Gerald Cotten was the talk of the cryptocurrency world in Canada after he introduced QuadrigaCX, a place where investors could buy and sell cryptocurrency. "I kept asking them: Where's my money? 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. One of the Globe reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. But when co-founder Cotten died during a honeymoon in India, the money was seemingly lost forever. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King is now streaming on Netflix. - Watch Full Details ! 29 2022, Published 3:03 p.m. Was the CEOknown for his luxurious lifestyle, which included jets, supercars and vacationsmurdered by a mob debt collector or a jealous lover? Cotten also took flying lessons as he appeared to be possibly preparing for a life on the run. [32] It also stated that Quadriga has 363,000 registered users and a sum of C$250 million is owed to 115,000 affected users. Netflix Special on Bitcoin Fraudster Gerald Cotten, His Wife, and QuadrigaCX. Mystery of rogue Bitcoin trader who 'died' taking with - The Sun Two years after Liberty Reserve was taken down, the pair launched Quadriga, though Mr Patryn left the company in 2016 over a dispute on whether to list the company publicly and claims no involvement in the resulting schemes. Supposedly, Cottens business associates didnt even know he was married. [37] According to an affidavit by the CEO's widow, approximately 115,000 customers are owed C$250 million (US$190 million), most of which was cryptocurrency held in Quadriga's cold wallet in the laptop that only the deceased CEO had access to. Netflix's 'Trust No One': Who Was QuadrigaCX CEO Gerald Cotten? For instance, had Cottens death certificate, which spelled his name as Cottan, been faked?