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SEC Charges NovaTech Promoters in Alleged $650M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against NovaTech Ltd. and its principals, Cynthia and Eddy Petion, for allegedly organizing a crypto fraud that defrauded over 200,000 investors worldwide, including many within the Haitian-American community.

The SEC’s complaint details that NovaTech, under the leadership of the Petions, was promoted as a multi-level marketing (MLM) and crypto asset investment program.

$650 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme

According to an August 12 press release, the SEC accuses the Petions of running a fraudulent scheme that raised more than $650 million in crypto assets between 2019 and 2023.

Investors were led to believe that their funds would be safely invested in cryptocurrency and foreign exchange markets, with Cynthia Petion reassuring them that their capital would yield profits from day one.

However, instead of investing most of the funds as promised, the SEC claims that NovaTech used investor money to pay existing investors and cover commissions for promoters, classic characteristics of a Ponzi scheme.

A huge portion of the funds was also allegedly siphoned off by the Petions for personal use. As the scheme began to unravel, most investors found themselves unable to withdraw their funds, resulting in significant financial losses.

Eric Werner, Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office, stated that NovaTech and the Petions caused significant losses to tens of thousands of victims globally. He emphasized that large MLM schemes rely on promoters to thrive and asserted that the SEC will hold accountable not only the primary architects of such schemes but also the promoters who unlawfully solicit victims.

SEC Charges Six NovaTech Promoters

The SEC has also charged six top NovaTech promoters—Martin Zizi, Dapilinu Dunbar, James Corbett, Corrie Sampson, John Garofano, and Marsha Hadley. They are accused of recruiting a broad network of investors while downplaying critical red flags regarding the company’s operations.

These red flags included regulatory actions taken against NovaTech by U.S. and Canadian authorities, which the promoters allegedly ignored while continuing to solicit new investments.

The SEC’s complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and civil penalties against all defendants. Meanwhile, Zizi has agreed to a partial settlement of the SEC’s charges but hasn’t admitted or denied the allegations.

Zizi consented to a $100,000 civil penalty and agreed to be permanently enjoined from future violations of the charged provisions. Pending court approval, the final determination of other monetary remedies against Zizi will be decided at a later date.

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Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin Price Slides to $103K as Major Altcoins Crash (Weekend Watch)

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The broader cryptocurrency market continues struggling amid mounting geopolitical and economic pressures.

Bitcoin’s price has lost almost 3% on the day, while major altcoins such as Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and others chart even more considerable declines.

Bitcoin Price Tumbles toward $103K

Bitcoin is charting a near 3% loss in the past 24 hours in what seems to be a broader crypto market selloff.

As seen in the chart below, the price tumbled from around $106,000 to an intraday low at $102,400 before bouncing and settling at where it current trades at the time of this writing.

BTCUSD_2025-06-21_11-32-32
Source: TradingView

As CryptoPotato reported, however, the common theme amongst the majority of cryptocurrency analysts and experts is that Bitcoin’s price trading at around $100,000 is indicative of institutional dominance and not retail FOMO.

This suggests that it has much more staying power because institutions are a lot less likely to sell during temporary and sudden drawdowns like the current one.

At the same time, however, the war between Israel and Iran continues, driving oil prices up and causing turmoil on stock markets as well.

Altcoins Crash Harder than BTC

The heatmap below paints a clear picture: most of the altcoins are trading in the red and are charting consiedrable losses.

Namely, some of the larger-cap cryptocurrencies such as ETH, SOL, ADA, DOGE, HYPE, BCH, LINK, AVAX, and more, are declining for more than 3% during the past 24 hours.

Interestingly enough, Bitcoin’s dominance – the metric, which tracks its share relative to that of the rest of the market is up by more than 1% during the same period.

This shows that BTC is performing a lot better and altcoins are completely unable to capitalize on its drawdown. In fact, this seems to be the other theme of the current cycle.

Screenshot 2025-06-21 at 11.45.41
Source: Quantify Crypto
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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Cryptocurrency

Semler Scientific Unveils Plan to Accumulate 105,000 BTC by 2027

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Nasdaq-listed healthcare technology company, Semler Scientific, has outlined a bold multi-year plan to significantly expand its Bitcoin holdings. The company aims to hold 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025 as an initial milestone. Building on this, it plans to increase its holdings to 42,000 BTC by the end of 2026.

By the close of 2027, Semler intends to reach a total of 105,000 BTC.

Semler Reports 287% Bitcoin Yield to Date

According to the official press release, the company said it will fund these purchases using a mix of equity and debt financing, as well as operational cash flows. Semler, which in May 2024 became the second US public company to adopt Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset, has since emerged as a significant corporate Bitcoin holder.

As of June 3, 2025, the firm reported a 287% yield on its Bitcoin investment and a $177 million unrealized gain.

In a move to strengthen its new approach, Semler has appointed Joe Burnett as Director of Bitcoin Strategy. Burnett, formerly Director of Market Research at Unchained, brings more than seven years of experience in Bitcoin advocacy and research.

In a statement, Eric Semler, chairman of Semler Scientific, said,

“We are excited to have Joe join our Bitcoin strategy team and help drive our three-year-plan to own 105,000 Bitcoins. Joe is an analytical thought leader on Bitcoin and Bitcoin treasury companies. His expertise will be instrumental as we pursue our Bitcoin treasury strategy and aim to deliver long-term value to our stockholders.”

Corporate Bitcoin Holdings Grow

An increasing number of public companies are deepening their involvement with the largest cryptocurrency. For instance, Genius Group, an AI-driven education company, recently increased its corporate Bitcoin reserves from 66 BTC to 100 BTC, after acquiring an additional 34 BTC valued at approximately $3.42 million.

The company resumed its Bitcoin purchases on May 22, following a May 6 US Court of Appeals ruling that lifted previous legal restrictions stemming from a dispute related to its merger with FatBrain AI. CEO Roger Hamilton described reaching 100 BTC as a milestone in their broader plan to accumulate 1,000 BTC.

Earlier this month, New York-based Mercurity Fintech Holding announced it would raise $800 million to build a Bitcoin treasury reserve. The company plans to integrate staking and tokenized finance tools, using secure blockchain custody infrastructure to reshape its treasury operations and boost capital efficiency through yield generation.

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Binance Moves $3B Daily in USDT via Tron, Dominating Global Transfers

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Binance has emerged as the undisputed leader in driving USDT liquidity on the Tron network. In fact, the crypto exchange routinely transacts between $2 billion and $3 billion in Tether daily.

This volume accounts for over 65% of all USDT transfers on Tron, far outpacing the combined activity of all other exchanges.

Binance: Key Driver of Tron-Based USDT Activity

According to the latest data shared by CryptoQuant, on average, Binance moves $1 billion more USDT on Tron each day than its competitors. This highlights its role as a central liquidity provider for global traders, institutions, and market makers.

The Tron network has become the preferred blockchain for large-scale stablecoin transactions due to its low fees and fast settlement times. This efficiency makes it especially attractive for high-frequency traders and institutions moving large volumes of USDT, particularly on Binance. As a result, Tron now serves as a critical backbone for USDT flows.

Meanwhile, Binance’s dominance in this space has broader implications for the market. Its stablecoin activity often is indicative of a shifting sentiment, as large USDT transfers point to potential capital rotation into altcoins, derivatives, or Bitcoin. This concentration of liquidity also presents both risk and opportunity, as per the crypto analytic platform.

Whales Power Tron’s USDT Boom

As for Tron, the network recently set a new record for USDT stablecoin transfers, which reached $691 billion in volume. The peak occurred in May, with a slight dip in June. Data also revealed that just 27 whale wallets were responsible for over $411 billion of May’s total, and were executed through only 491 transactions. This highlighted the outsized influence of large investors in driving on-chain liquidity.

Tron network now dominates the circulating supply and usage of USDT, far surpassing Ethereum and other networks. More than 10.5 billion transactions have taken place on Tron to date following a steady growth trajectory since 2018.

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