Crypto
A Miami crypto venture, a crash, a gambling addiction — and now jail time
The founder of a cryptocurrency token business in Miami has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for committing wire fraud during the last crypto boom and ordered to pay victims $1.14 million.
Austin Michael Taylor, 41, founded CluCoin, a cryptocurrency project, which held a successful Initial Coin Offering in May 2021. An ICO, like an IPO for traditional businesses, is where capital is obtained from investors and others through trading their more established cryptocurrency for a new digital token.
But CluCoin proceeded to crash, losing value. The firm subsequently pivoted to other business ventures, which failed. Finally, Taylor developed a gambling addiction, and he lost his investors’ money at online casinos.
The sentence, handed down Feb. 14 in Miami by U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra, is specific to one count of wire fraud and was in line with the punishment requested by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. It comes after Taylor pleaded guilty in August 2024 in Miami federal court. After jail time, Taylor will have to spend three years of supervised release.
More than jail
Judge Becerra imposed additional conditions. Taylor cannot “apply for, solicit or incur any further debt, included but not limited to loans, lines of credit or credit card charges, either as a principal or cosigner” without first getting approval from the U.S. probation officer. He must also enter a treatment program for his gambling addiction and pay for it.
Victims of CluCoin’s shenanigans were not named in publicly available court documents. But the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote in its sentencing request that there were “hundreds of investors.” It already contacted them, it said. Still, anyone who invested in CluCoin, believes they are a victim and/or received an NFT is asked contact the FBI and visit fbi.gov/CluCoinInvestors.
CluCoin’s early days
During the early days of the pandemic, Taylor, a computer programmer from Maryland, developed a large internet following by giving away money and prizes. Beginning in May 2021, he “leveraged this following to begin soliciting investments in his new cryptocurrency,” a court filing in August 2024 describing his guilty plea said.
The cryptocurrency was initially called CluShare but then changed its name to CluCoin. He had a popular X account, where he went by @DNPThree. As of Feb. 16, the account was still open with over half a million followers.
In 2021, Taylor announced he’d hold an Initial Coin Offering for CluCoin. “During this ICO, anyone could become a CluCoin coin holder by sending more established cryptocurrency to a cryptocurrency address associated with the Defendant,” a court document said.
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He also published a white paper — a mini-research paper in the business world — which would serve as his investment prospectus, a guide to what investors should expect from the company. In it, he said one of the company’s main goals was to “provide ongoing income for charitable projects deemed appropriate for support by our community” of CluCoin coin holders.
He also assured potential investors “that while a portion of the funds would flow to a developer cryptocurrency address that defendant controlled, he’d use funds consistent with the white paper.”
CluCoin held a successful ICO on May 19, 2021, “during which investors sent millions of dollars’ worth of more established cryptocurrency to a cryptocurrency address affiliated with CluCoin project.” That was in exchange for “newly issued CluCoin digital tokens.”
CluCoin’s price rose, and in early June 2021, Taylor incorporated CLU LLC in Aventura.
South Florida was hot
This happened during a time when Miami not only experienced a tech boom but became an epicenter for crypto companies and entrepreneurs, who moved to the region from all over the country and world. Local officials got into the act, too. The Miami Heat’s bayfront arena was renamed FTX Arena in a $135 million deal inked in 2021 with Miami-Dade County. FTX was then a high-flying crypto trading exchange.
Miami City Mayor Francis Suarez also became a big champion of crypto.
The bust
Crypto’s winter came fast.
In 2022, FTX failed and filed for bankruptcy. Last year, its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of seven counts of wire fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In April 2023, MiamiCoin, one of the ventures Suarez promoted, had its trading suspended after encountering liquidity issues. Neither the city nor Suarez created MiamiCoin, but they did push it.
More than a year earlier, CluCoin’s value and trading volume had already “declined precipitously.”
At that time, Taylor told people he would shift away from funding charities and “would instead focus on multiple potentially profitable online business ventures.”
That included creating NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, going into the Metaverse and launching a computer game called Xenia. Crypto was still going strong in Miami.
In April 2022, he organized a conference at a Miami hotel called “NFTCon: Into the Metaverse.” He considered it a way to try to regain trust, meeting people face-to-face.
Yet, there was something attendees weren’t told.
“While the defendant was managing Clu and making representations to potential and existing investors about its Activities, he was secretly succumbing to a gambling addiction,” the plea agreement said.
“Government cryptocurrency tracing showed that almost immediately, and continuing through December 2022, defendant routinely transferred funds that he had told investors he would use for CLU ventures out of this address to his personal cryptocurrency exchange account,” the court document said. “And then from that account to multiple online casinos, where the Defendant lost the funds gambling.” About $1.14 million was transferred between May and December 2022.
In January 2023, he publicly admitted this to his investors and followers. He ceded control of his company to his business associates.
U.S. Attorney Manolo Reboso prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is in charge of asset forfeiture. Taylor’s plea agreement in August was signed off on by the then top U.S. attorney for the region, Markenzy Lapointe, who stepped down in January before President Donald Trump took office.
Crypto
LAB Token Crashes 80% to $1.25 as $5B Market Cap Vanishes in 48 Hours
Key Takeaways
- LAB token cratered 90% over 48 hours, wiping out billions in market cap.
- ZachXBT slammed top centralized exchanges for failing to halt the July manipulation.
- Investors surged to avoid trading LAB as team token unlocks are set for later in July 2026.
LAB Trade Blames ‘Large Market Participants’
LAB, the native token of the multi-chain trading platform LAB Trade, suffered a catastrophic collapse this week, plunging from just over $7 to $1.25 on Wednesday—a staggering 80% decline in under 24 hours. This crash followed an equally brutal sell-off on Tuesday, which saw the token slide from nearly $17. In total, LAB wiped out nearly 90% of its value in just 48 hours.
The financial fallout was swift: a market capitalization that exceeded $5 billion on Tuesday morning evaporated to just $390 million by 3:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday. The freefall prompted the LAB Trade team to address the panic on X, where they expressed disappointment and deflected blame toward external heavy-sellers:
“While today’s market activity is disappointing, our product roadmap and long-term focus remain unchanged. We’re seeing significant selling pressure from large market participants. Several independent trading firms also hold substantial LAB positions that are not affiliated with our team. We’re working closely with our liquidity partners and continue to monitor market conditions,” the team said on X.
With this crash, LAB joins a notorious lineup of volatile tokens, such as RAVE, RIVER and SIREN. Each of these projects experienced meteoric rises followed by near-instantaneous erasures, sparking widespread “pump-and-dump” allegations against their respective teams and murky distribution networks.
Crypto Sleuth Slams Centralized Exchanges
Prominent on-chain detective ZachXBT, who previously flagged suspicious insider loans and market-maker coordination back in May, blasted major centralized exchanges ( CEXs) for failing to protect retail investors. Taking to X, ZachXBT criticized the lack of proactive intervention:
“Disappointing to see how no action was taken by Binance, Bitget, and Gate earlier to prevent it. If CEXs cared, profits from the accounts manipulating the price would be distributed to users at a minimum. Unlocks for investors were scheduled to begin later this month, however, multiple late vesting changes occurred in the past.”
ZachXBT reiterated his previous warnings that insiders have effectively controlled the entire circulating supply, allowing market makers to orchestrate extreme price manipulation on major exchanges. His final advice to the community was blunt: avoid trading LAB under any circumstances.
ZachXBT Names RAVE, RIVER, SIREN, and LAB as Victims of Bitget-Enabled Market Maker Fraud
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has renewed his assault on Bitget, accusing the exchange of knowingly enabling market makers to run supply…
ZachXBT Names RAVE, RIVER, SIREN, and LAB as Victims of Bitget-Enabled Market Maker Fraud
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has renewed his assault on Bitget, accusing the exchange of knowingly enabling market makers to run supply…
ZachXBT Names RAVE, RIVER, SIREN, and LAB as Victims of Bitget-Enabled Market Maker Fraud
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has renewed his assault on Bitget, accusing the exchange of knowingly enabling market makers to run supply…
Crypto
Residents question proposed crypto mining center
STARKVILLE – Potentially higher utility bills and sound pollution topped the list of concerns raised by six residents who addressed the board of aldermen Tuesday about a cryptocurrency mining facility proposed for Industrial Park Road.
Vice Mayor Roy Perkins, who represents Ward 6, said he has fielded similar concerns from constituents following the board’s June 12 work session, during which members heard a presentation about the potential project.
“I know these things need to have full accountability, full transparency and different things,” Perkins said. “… Well you can rest assured the vice mayor is going to be on assignment. I’m going to do my part. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to negatively impact this community.”
The proposed facility would be a specialized type of data center designed to mine cryptocurrency, a digital currency that operates independently of government-backed financial systems. It is stored in digital wallets and fluctuates in value.
Mining facilities use specialized computers that draw large energy loads to secure the digital transactions that take place. The center proposed in Starkville would be much smaller than “hyperscale data centers” that store and process data for large tech companies.
Utility usage topped the concerns of most residents with Pam Jones, the first to speak, set the tone.
“I understand that this is on a smaller scale than the hyper-scale facilities, and I just wanted to be sure that we had ordinances in place that will count the noise, especially at night and that there will be water and power management,” Jones said.
Other residents took issue with what they see as a lack of transparency around the proposed project.
“I was quite disappointed to learn (the mining facility) was not an agenda item today,” said Eadie Keenan, a Ward 7 resident. “… Quite frankly, I have more questions than can fit in three minutes.”
Tiffany Womack, another Starkville resident, echoed Kennan’s concerns, adding utility usage and market volatility to her own list of issues.
“If (the center was) to go bankrupt or something like that, would that possibly fall back on the responsibility of Starkville citizens?” Womack asked.
Mayor Lynn Spruill did not answer each question individually, instead encouraging those with questions to watch the June 12 presentation. Due to the project’s early stage, she noted the board does not yet know answers to all the questions raised during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I brought (the center) to the board as an opportunity for us to begin that process of learning so we are nowhere near making a decision,” Spruill said. “Which is why it isn’t on the agenda and won’t be on the agenda for some time.”
Spruill said the proposed center is currently going through the staff vetting process. Once the process is complete, staff will make a recommendation to the board on whether to pursue the center. At that time, Spruill expects to be able to answer residents’ remaining questions.
Spruill said transparency is important to her and the board while going through the process of vetting the mining center.
“Nothing is being hidden. It’s all out there for everybody to see, and we’ll make decisions based on facts not on Facebook craziness,” Spruill said. “… We want facts, and we want all decisions to be made with facts. And so hopefully that will put some of your concerns (to rest), at least to the extent that this is nowhere near something that will be on the agenda.”
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Crypto
Jim Rickards Asked Robert Kiyosaki to Read One Manuscript, Then His View of Global Finance Changed
Key Takeaways
- Robert Kiyosaki said a manuscript shared by Jim Rickards changed how he views global finance.
- Kiyosaki warned commonly held financial assets could face pressure as financial rules shift across markets.
- His claims remain warnings, with evidence and future market developments still central.
Why Did One Manuscript Change Robert Kiyosaki’s View?
Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the best-selling personal finance book Rich Dad Poor Dad, said an advance manuscript of “The Entropy Trap” shared by Jim Rickards prompted him to rethink how he views global finance. Rickards is an economist, lawyer, and financial commentator known for writing about currencies, debt, and systemic market risk. Kiyosaki said the early reading changed his perspective on where the financial system may be headed.
The reaction was framed around a warning about financial change. The book, written by Mickey M. Maini, “blew my mind and opened my eyes to what & why global financial change is coming,” Kiyosaki described. His comments focused on what he described as a shift in the rules behind wealth, assets, and trust.
The central claim is that wealth could move away from people relying on traditional financial assumptions. Kiyosaki asserted:
“The informed will be tomorrow’s ULTRA RICH. Todays uniformed operating by the old rules of money… will become the new poor.”
The Warning Behind the Claim
The warning centers on assets that depend on trust, including U.S. bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. Kiyosaki framed those instruments as vulnerable under the financial shift he says is coming, placing commonly held investment products at the center of the risk.
That claim is severe, but he presented it as a warning rather than a proven outcome. He also pointed to large bondholders, including Japan, saying they have already started dumping U.S. bonds. He did not provide supporting data in the statement.
The acclaimed author shared:
“Message from book… ‘All assets that require trust, assets that most people have… such as U.S. bonds, ETFs, mutual funds will be flushed down toilets, all over the world.’”
The broader conflict is whether traditional financial assets remain reliable under the conditions Kiyosaki described. His framing divides investors between those preparing for a changed financial system and those still operating under assumptions he says may no longer hold.
What Still Needs to Be Proven
A planned August study session could clarify the warning Kiyosaki described. He said his study team would examine the message and that Rickards may join, though the evidence behind the claims has not yet been laid out.
For now, the warning rests on Kiyosaki’s account of a manuscript that changed his view. He urged readers to prepare, writing:
“I want you to be one of the world’s new rich.”
What remains unknown is whether market data, policy moves, or investor behavior will confirm the risk he described.
His recent commentary has focused on what he describes as fragility in the global monetary system, particularly around the U.S. dollar. He has pointed to rising debt, central bank policies, and inflation as risks that could trigger a sharp market downturn.
Alongside those concerns, he has repeatedly highlighted bitcoin, gold, and silver as alternative stores of value. In his view, those assets may help reduce exposure to traditional financial instruments during periods of currency weakness and market turbulence.
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