So his spiral down into a life of crime was either pure greed or him seeking the thrill. The young entrepreneur seemed to be at the height of his success, traveling around the world with his wife, Jennifer, and leading a jet-setting lifestyle. Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Holt). California (2) Massachusetts (1) Texas (2) Refine Your Search Results. "I couldn't get any sleep. Gerald Cotten, who was born on May 11th, 1988, was raised in Belleville, Ontario, before relocating to Toronto to enroll at York University's Schulich School of Business. One of the Globe reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. The circumstances are dodgy that they chose to honeymoon to India and he suddenly dies from complications of Crohn's disease. The media dragged Gerald Cotten's wife, Jennifer Robertson, into the spotlight after his mysterious death. Browse Locations. But pour in it did. Quadriga CX was left owning its 76,000 investors around $215million (CAD). The sudden death of Gerald Cotten in December 2018 plunged the world of cryptocurrency into chaos. The company raised C$850,000 but cancelled plans to list on the exchange in early 2016. Uncertainty about the missing funds has fueled speculation that Cotten may still be alive. And, wildly, was Jennifer, his wife, even real? 'Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King' will be released sometime in 2022. (Neither men were charged in connection with Liberty Reserve). Then, as their accounts accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars, Gerald passed unexpectedly, taking the passwords to the accounts to his grave. Its pretty much money by people for people.. [30], According to Jennifer Robertson, Cotten's widow, he died on 9 December 2018 while travelling in India. 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. [49], On 5 March 2019, Justice Wood extended Quadriga's court protection to 23 April. Its the swindler story you havent heard of until now. Cotten In 2013 was looking for a programmer to help him create a bitcoin marketplace using the account name Murdoch1337 on a BlackHat Forum and this account was last seen active in August 2019 at this point he should have been "dead" for a long time. [43][44] On 13 December 2019, the court-appointed law firm representing the exchange's former users sent a letter to the RCMP asking that they exhume Cotten's body to confirm his identity and verify a cause of death. Netflix has tried to get to the bottom of things in its new 90-minute doc; read on to uncover the wild tale of Gerald Cotten. Conspiracy theorists insist that Cotten faked his own death, however, as many irregularities surrounding his death began to circulate, including a copy of his misspelled death certificate and the fact that his funeral had a closed casket. April 2, 2022 Netflix Nobody was expecting Gerald Cotten, the CEO of Canadian Bitcoin exchange QuadrigaCX, to die at 30. Cotton's sudden death from complications of Crohn's disease aged 30 shocked the crypto world - but many believe he may have faked his death in an elaborate "exit scam". Gerald Cotten Still Alive ? Mr Patryn pled guilty in 2005 to working in an identity fraud ring, and did business under a company called Midas Gold as an intermediary with Liberty Reserve, a Costa Rican digital currency firm busted as one of the largest money laundering operations in history. The public didnt learn about the death for another 36 days, until January 2019. Cotten passed away from complications that arose from Crohns disease while on a honeymoon in Indiaapparently taking some $215 million of customer funds to the grave. Finally, the OSC discovered something that cracked the case wide open. [34][35], On 14 January 2019,[36] Quadriga announced that their CEO, Gerald Cotten, had died the month prior from Crohn's disease while doing volunteer work at an orphanage in India. #GeraldCottenReallyDead #GeraldCottenStillAliveGerald Cotten Really Dead ? Cottens death will likely remain a mystery, with some believing that he is still residing somewhere in the world with the stolen money. Customers reported that once they arrived, there was nobody in the office, or that there was no cash to be disbursed. Both Canadas tax authorities and the FBI are also investigating the company. So, Patryn: shit-stirrer, criminal mastermind or another one beguiled by Cotten? Cotten passed away from complications that arose from Crohns disease while on a honeymoon in Indiaapparently taking some $215 million of customer funds to the grave. The two first met in November 2014 and had been together for some time before tying the knot in October 2018. To add credence to the theory that he faked his own death and is still alive, Bloomberg reported that the crypto exchange founder filed his will just 12 days before he apparently died. For instance, had Cottens death certificate, which spelled his name as Cott, , been faked? Jilted investors in a defunct cryptocurrency company want to confirm the death of the business's founder by exhuming his remains. Either the funds were never received or quickly went missing. "[46] The Official Ontario Securities report on Quadriga is attached here. "You appear dead for a few days, until you get the cure," the source said. "At that time, there was nothing I could do. Retrieved 18 January 2022. Criminal probes continue by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI as leading digital investing publication Coindesk branded his death as the "crypto's biggest mystery". [7][8] On 8 April 2019 the firm entered bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act as the possibility of a successful reorganization appeared to be remote. CIBC stated that they could not determine the ownership of the money and could not contact Cotten or Quadriga. There were other problems around that time. Dying from Crohn's disease when only 1.6% of sufferers from this disease die of it and to happen to die from . No longer a likable nerd, investors thought that Gerald, now sceptre, had been operating scams since he was 15. [53], A Netflix documentary titled Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King about the story of Gerald Cotten was released in March 2022. Here's my take on Gerald Cotten and his suspicious death. Forensic accountants discovered that Gerry was trading against fake users, crediting their account with fake currencies and pocketing the cash, using the proceeds to play the crypto market. After some more digging, the reporter found an order form filled out by one Gerald Cotten. "I could have invested it in real estate. Reported by Fansided, Globe and Mail journalist Nathan Vanderklippe spoke to Dr. Sharma, who dealt with Cotten when he came into the hospital. Dhanani also had pleaded guilty to burglary and grand theft charges and had been deported to Canada. lets break it all down. The streaming service announced the feature alongside a slate of upcoming true-crime projects last week. [7][8], Quadriga co-founder Michael Patryn was identified by The Globe and Mail as Omar Dhanani, who was convicted on identity theft charges in the U.S. and served 18 months in Federal prison. [42] Another three empty wallets were believed to possibly be owned by Quadriga. I'm new to this subreddit, I apologise if anything I have said breaks the rules. A C$100,000 trust fund was made to provide lifelong care for Cotten's two chihuahuas in case of Robertson's death. at the time Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange, Gerald Cotten, 30, died in questionable circumstances, Canadian company founder took crucial password to the grave. Have something to tell us about this article? They reported that Jennifer said she couldnt get into Cottens laptops, and found an affidavit from Robertson saying that she didnt understand how QuadrigaCX operatedeven though one of Robertsons companies later wired cash to some of Quadrigas customers. I didnt know that Gerry was married, he says. More than three years after the sudden death of Quadriga CEO Gerald Cotten and the revelations that the company was a massive cryptocurrency scam, his widow,. When he was a 15-year-old in Belleville, Ont., Gerald Cotten was selling get-rich-quick schemes on online forums that taught him how to deceive investors and cover his tracks. He was able to keep the venture, called S&S Investments, going for three months, before it folded and investors money was gone. pic.twitter.com/rGymJ5f9Or. He is believed to have carried out Ponzi scheme scams since he was just 15 - such as playing a role in pre-crypto digital token eGold, according to investigator Amy Castor. I just prayed. Citing decomposition concerns, lawyers requested the exhumation be completed no later than spring 2020. The Globe and Mail reporters were on the case, and used photos to conclude that they were the same person. [17][29] Bloomberg also identified Patryn as Dhanani, showing that he had officially changed his name from Omar Dhanani to Omar Patryn in British Columbia in March 2003 and changed it again to Michael Patryn in October 2008. Is Gerald Cotten really dead? [17], In 2016, Cotten became the sole director of Quadriga when all the other directors resigned. Jennifer, scared for her safety, entered a safe house. Robertson has not been accused of any wrongdoing - and has denied any knowledge of her husband's business dealings. Many believe that Cotten faked his death, however, as part of an exit scam to get away with. [17] In a 2014 interview, founder Gerald Cotten explained that the company stored customer funds on paper wallets in safe deposit boxes: "So we just send money to them, we dont need to go back to the bank every time we want to put money into it. But even the forensic accountants only managed to trace $46 million of the total $215 million customers had deposited onto the exchange. He launched QuadrigaCX in 2013, and it quickly became one of the largest crypto exchanges. Mr Cotten, 30 at the time of his death, seemed to be living the dream life of a financial titan. [42], Quadriga continued to accept deposits until 26 January. that after 2016, QuadrigaCX stopped producing consistent data about its holdings, and that large volumes of cryptocurrencies were being sent to foreign crypto exchanges. His wife Jennifer Robertson said he had promised to create a mechanism that turned thepasswords over to her when he died. Zou trusted Quadriga CX, Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with C$500,000 (305,000). Everyone knows the story about the now-defunct QuadrigaCX . Investors who believed that Cotten had faked his own death and ran away with the money had made one huge assumption: that Cotten had money to steal. According to an investigation by Canada's Globe and Mail, Cotten. Netflix announced an upcoming documentary about the Quadriga Bitcoin saga and the death of CEO Gerald Cotten. And why did the Indian hospital that treated Cotten misspell his name on his death certificate? Zou trusted Quadriga CX, Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with C$500,000 (305,000). His body was repatriated to . NOW WATCH: Netflix is headed for a huge profit milestone in 2018, Personal Finance Insider's picks for best cryptocurrency exchanges. And who dies from Crohns disease at 24 years old? Widow of Quadriga crypto founder Gerald Cotten says she had no idea about the $215-million scam In an exclusive interview, Jennifer Robertson speaks out publicly about her deceased husband,. Cotten and Patryn's past: He's also been linked to many other "Cryptocurrency markets" in the past with his old partner Patryn who has changed his name twice because he was charged with laundering money. 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. [51], A documentary titled Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery about the story of Gerald Cotten premiered at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. More than three years after the sudden death of Quadriga CEO Gerald Cotten and the revelations that the company was a massive cryptocurrency scam, his widow, Jennifer Robertson, tells her side of the story.#Quadriga #GeraldCotten #BitcoinWatch The National live on YouTube Sunday-Friday at 9 p.m. ETSubscribe to The National: https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCTheNational?sub_confirmation=1Connect with The National online:Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thenationalTwitter | https://twitter.com/CBCTheNationalInstagram | https://www.instagram.com/cbcthenationalMore from CBC News | https://www.cbc.ca/newsThe National is CBC's flagship nightly news program, featuring the day's top stories with in-depth and original journalism, with hosts Adrienne Arsenault and Andrew Chang in Toronto, Ian Hanomansing in Vancouver and the CBC's chief political correspondent, Rosemary Barton in Ottawa. She says she never received the passwords. In other news, Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 4 to release Fall 2023, confirms new trailer, Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King | Official Trailer | Netflix, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vW2BPQ15OSw/hqdefault.jpg. At the time, he was the CEO of QuadrigaCX, a company that performed cryptocurrency exchanges. Robertsons sister, for the record, doesnt think that Cotten had fabricated his relationship with Jennifer. Gerald Cotten is allegedly meant to have died from Crohns disease after the exchange crashed. The documentary follows a group of Quadriga investors turned sleuths who dig into the suspicious death of Cotten and the millions of missing cryptocurrency they believe Cotten stole from them, according to a tweet from Netflix announcing the film. Following Quadrigas implosion in 2019, it was investigated by the Ontario Securities Commission, which concluded that, "what happened at Quadriga was an old-fashioned fraud wrapped in modern technology. Supposedly, Cottens business associates didnt even know he was married. His body was repatriated to Canada and a funeral was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Living a jet set life, he cruised the world on yachts, flew in private jets and investigators even released photos of piles of cash on his kitchen table. [15] He learned about Bitcoin in Toronto and travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he founded Quadriga in November 2013 with Michael Patryn. The teen, a bright computer enthusiast from Belleville, Ontario, ran the operation on an online forum called TalkGold . [21], Throughout 2018, as Bitcoin prices crashed, customers of the exchange reported delays when attempting to withdraw dollars. His death sparked online debates and string theories on Reddit and. In December 2018, Cotten died during his honeymoon with his wife, Jennifer Robertson, in Jaipur, India. The only catch: only Gerry knew the passwords to the companys crypto-vaults. , initially diagnosed Cotten with little more than travelers diahrrea, but kept him in hospital just in case. He would then use this crypto to make investments himself on other digital exchanges as he furnished his own pockets at the expense of his investors, according to accounting firm Ernst & Young. 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. Lawyers representing investors in what BBC. So the. The accounting firm Ernst & Young, tasked with auditing the company as it undergoes bankruptcy proceedings, discovered numerous money-losing trades executed by Cotten, using customers funds. Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten | FAKE Behind 'Hunt For The Crypto King' Netflix | Where Are They Now?Subscribe Here! Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King. I ended up losing my life savings I lost $400,000, Tong Zou, a tech worker quoted in the film, says. Then Gerald Cotten suddenly died, in December of 2018, from complications with Crohn's disease. Cryptocurrency investors locked out of $190m after exchange founder dies, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. His death was kept secret for a month by the firm before it was finally announced - and it was found he had spent millions in investors' money funding his own lavish lifestyle. Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten | FAKE Behind 'Hunt For The Crypto King' Netflix | Where Are They Now?Subscribe Here! goes to Cottens hospital in India to put the whole fake death thing to bed. But months later, customers still couldnt take their money out. The tech whiz however didn't even need to do it - being an early believer in crypto, he likely would have got rich without the need to scam people. Gerald Cotten, 30, held the virtual keys to a whopping $137 . He died just nine days into his honeymoon due to an acute stomach ache. Fake trading: I'm almost certain that he was trading with fake crypto, Chris Markay was one of the accounts that Cotten used to trade his "crypto" he also is known to have other aliases Sceptre Gerry, Aretwo Deetwo and Seethree Peaohh. [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. Shortly after, the exchange stopped working entirely. Still, all this evidence was circumstantialinvestors hadnt yet found a smoking gun. Facebook / Remembering Gerry Cotten In the weeks since Quadriga Fintech Solutions Corp. belatedly made his death public, the exchange's furious users have raised questions. Was the CEOknown for his luxurious lifestyle, which included jets, supercars and vacationsmurdered by a mob debt collector or a jealous lover? He would grow up to be a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and run Canadas largest crypto exchange, QuadrigaCX, before dying under bizarre circumstances in 2018, leaving investors looking for a missing $180 million Canadian dollars. 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. Quadriga's customers are owed C$260 million in cryptocurrency and cash. Even today, some investors remain unconvinced that Cotten really is dead. So the Globe goes to Cottens hospital in India to put the whole fake death thing to bed. Neither Costodian or Quadriga could access the funds. [7] Meanwhile, in order to manage the finances of the company during the process, a third-party monitor, Ernst & Young, was appointed. In court filings, it was revealed that Mr Cottens email was listed as Midas Golds contact. name was not the same as Robertsons ex-husband, some angry investors lobbed death threats at Jennifer, convinced that she had murdered Cotten, too. [24][25][26], According to court filings, Quadriga also used WB21 as a payment processor. 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. Did Cotten fake his own death, investors began to ask, absconding to lands anew under a new name and a surgically rejigged face? reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. Cotten also took flying lessons as he appeared to be possibly preparing for a life on the run. The couple were on their honeymoon in India, where Jennifer had dreams of opening an orphanage. I personally believe that Cotten is not dead but I would like to hear from people who know more than me about this topic and what they think about the situation. ET. Gerald Cleophas Betzen, 68. Up to C$250 million (US$190 million) in cryptocurrency owed to 115,000 customers was missing[2] or could not be accessed because only Cotten held the password to off-line cold wallets. My sisters not a liar.. Some have speculated that Gerald Cotten faked his own death and basically got a knock-off death certificate in India or perhaps he was killed by his business partners but even the death itself is incredibly suspicious. Now . Then, out of the blue, one Mike Patryn joined the Telegram group that investors were using to discuss conspiracies. Despite no concrete evidenceindeed, the murdered mans. Quadriga Fintech Solutions was the owner and operator of QuadrigaCX, which was believed to be Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Soon enough, QuadrigaCXs customers struggled to withdraw money from the exchange. One of the. Image Source: Social Media. Thinking that Jennifer had murdered Cotten, the Telegram group spiraled out of control. She has also said she has no idea what the passwords are to access sequestered customer funds, and that it wasnt written down anywhere. Soon after his death, however, reports surfaced that nearly 80,000 users of QuadrigaCX at the time Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange were unable to access funds totalling more $190m.