FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. — A Fountain Hills man has been accused of swindling more than 150 people out of millions of dollars in a massive cryptocurrency scheme known as Dunamis Global Technologies, the U.S. District Attorney's office announced.
Jeremie Sowerby, 45, of Fountain Hills is facing a 50-count indictment for wire fraud and transactional money laundering. The indictment claims that he marketed Dunamis as a company selling cryptocurrency mining machines which would be hosted in facilities in Lakeside and Tempe that Sowerby claimed to own.
"In reality, Sowerby directed most of the victim funds to accounts under his control. Any “earnings” were directed to a Dunamis wallet controlled by Sowerby, and victims were never able to access their invested money or any purported profits," the DA's office said.
Sowerby was accused of stealing the money and using it to buy Tesla cars, residential property, cryptocurrency and other expensive goods.
It's not the first time that Sowerby has come under scrutiny. He was previously charged with co-defendant Luis Ortega in a similar indictment that alleged the two scammed hundreds of people out of millions of dollars using three companies: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies.
He's also been charged with scamming an Arizona physician using an "exclusive hedge fund investment opportunity," the DA's office said.
Both of those cases are still pending.
A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Transactional money laundering carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of the same amount.
The FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation branch are carrying out the investigation, and believe that there are other victims who are still unidentified.
Anyone who believes they were defrauded by Sowerby can contact the Victim Witness Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona at usaaz.victimassist@usdoj.gov or fill out the questionnaire at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-potential-victims-of-jeremie-sowerby-luis-ortega-fraud-schemes.
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