Seattle Former Rugby Player Gets 30 Months for Ponzi Crypto Scheme

Moore convinced more than 40 people to give him money by claiming he would use it to buy crypto mining equipment and deliver steady daily profits.

From January 2021 to October 2022, Moore ran a company he called Quantum Donovan LLC. He told investors their money would be used to set up mining machines that could generate about one percent in returns each day. Instead, he used the money to buy an upscale apartment, expensive luggage, and electronics.

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Moore also used some of the funds to repay earlier investors, which made the operation appear to be working and encouraged others to join.

Many of his victims were fellow rugby players from states including Washington, Utah, Oregon, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Prosecutors said he took advantage of personal connections and trust within the rugby community to find new investors, who together lost more than $387,000.

At the sentencing, Acting US Attorney Teal Luthy Miller said Moore used the hype around cryptocurrency to carry out a "Ponzi scheme". Miller also noted how the case left behind broken relationships among teammates and friends.

Judge Tana Lin, who handed down the sentence, said Moore’s actions caused emotional and mental harm to his victims, not just financial losses. Along with the prison term, Moore was ordered to repay the money he stole.

On July 16, Paul Chowles, a former officer from the UK’s National Crime Agency, was sentenced to five and a half years. What happened? Read the full story.