The sale of tokens on Telegram became the reason for major raids on exchange offices in Moscow-City. The crypto businessman claimed to be a friend of Pavel Durov and offered TON at a discount—but turned out to be a fraudster and fled to Dubai.
According to Mash, the local Wall Street “wolf” is 38-year-old Roman Novak. At first, he presented himself as the deputy of Telegram vice-president Ilya Perekopsky and a member of the messenger’s board of directors. Later, he tried to sell so-called Telegram bonds before the public release and TON tokens at up to 50% discount. The minimum investment was $1 million, with installment plans offered for the wealthy. To appear convincing, he used fake screenshots, stories about sheikhs, and insider information allegedly from Durov’s inner circle.
In reality, he already had a conviction for embezzling $4 million and, after being released from prison, moved to Dubai, where he continued the scheme. Russian authorities are now sorting out the aftermath of his investment projects in Moscow-City.
In September, offices in Moscow-City were under scrutiny by law enforcement for two weeks. The reason for the investigation could have been the illegal transfer of funds to Dubai. At that time, operatives focused on two exchange offices—Rapira and Mosca.
