Juan Tacuri Pleads Guilty in $8.4 Million Forcount Crypto Ponzi Scheme

Juan Tacurri, 46, of Greenacres, Florida, a top promoter of the Forcount cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the Southern District of New York.

The scheme, which netted $8.4 million from primarily Spanish-speaking investors, has been described as one of the most shocking scams targeting vulnerable communities.

Forcount promoter Juan Tacurri pleads guilty

Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Announce Tacori's plea is before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.

“With this guilty plea, Juan Tacori is held accountable for exploiting individual investors and selling them a fabricated investment opportunity,” US Attorney Williams said.

“Takkuri took millions of dollars of victims’ money – money the victims could not afford to lose – and spent it lavishly on luxury goods and real estate. This office will not stop pursuing Ponzi schemes like Takkori, especially when they target ordinary working people in dire financial straits.”

Takori, who played a large role in promoting the fraudulent investment opportunity, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 24, 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. As part of the plea agreement, Takori will also forfeit approximately $4 million and some real estate acquired with the victims' money.

Forcount Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme

According to the indictment, public filings and court statements, Forcount (later known as Weltsys) represented itself as a cryptocurrency mining and trading company, falsely promising guaranteed daily returns and doubling investments within six months.

Takuri and other promoters lured victims with extravagant fairs and community presentations, pitching the scheme as a path to financial freedom. Victims were persuaded to invest via cash, cheques, bank transfers and cryptocurrencies.

Victims were also given access to an online portal offering fake profits. However, most of them were unable to withdraw their alleged profits, eventually resulting in the loss of their entire investment. Meanwhile, Takuri and other promoters withdrew large sums of money for personal luxuries and continued promoting the scheme.

As early as April 2018, victims experienced difficulties withdrawing funds. Complaints to Takori and others were met with excuses, delays and hidden fees. Despite the grievances, Thakuri continued to promote the scheme and accept investments.

To address liquidity issues, Forcount introduced a special crypto-token, “Mindexcoin,” which Takuri falsely claimed would gain significant value. In reality, the tokens were worthless, resulting in increased financial losses for victims. By 2021, the scheme had stopped making payments to victims, and Takuri and other promoters had stopped responding to complaints.