What Happened to Jennifer Robertson and Where Is Gerald Cotten's Wife Now? But Cotten was a bad trader: losing money hand over fist, he gambled away about $150 million of customer funds. [17], In 2016, Cotten became the sole director of Quadriga when all the other directors resigned. 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. Mar. The OSC. Zou resorted to the cryptocurrency scheme to avoid bank charges when moving Vancouver, shifting his money from the US to a Canadian account. Their online exchange launched after the first month. Gerald Cotten. ^ "Quadriga CEO's widow speaks out over his death and the missing crypto millions". After some more digging, the reporter found an order form filled out by one Gerald Cotten. Thats when the Globe started to be convinced that he was dead, after all. Cotten was the only one with access to necessary permissions. Mystery of rogue Bitcoin trader who 'died' taking with him password to Gerald Cotten, 30, died abruptly in December 2018 of complications relating to Crohns disease while on honeymoon in Jaipur, India, with his wife, Jennifer Robertson. Robertsons sister, for the record, doesnt think that Cotten had fabricated his relationship with Jennifer. Did he Die? at the time Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange, Gerald Cotten, 30, died in questionable circumstances, Canadian company founder took crucial password to the grave. Mystery of crypto CEO who died, taking $250 million with him Further complicating the matter the company's co-founder Michael Patryn was revealed to actually be a man named Omar Dhanani, who had previously been convicted in the US of identity fraud. Either the funds were never received or quickly went missing. CIBC stated that they could not determine the ownership of the money and could not contact Cotten or Quadriga. But, due to the strict security of crypto, we may never know. reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. Quadriga Fintech Solutions - Wikipedia [33] Aaron Matthews served as Director of Operations. For instance, had Cottens death certificate, which spelled his name as Cott, , been faked? Gerald Cotten, 30, died abruptly in December 2018 of complications relating to Crohn's disease while on honeymoon in Jaipur, India, with his wife, Jennifer Robertson. https://bit.ly/3cAIH4j Newest Vid's https:. We just send money from our Bitcoin app directly to those paper wallets, and keep it safe that way. A C$24.7 million disbursement fund has been planned with C$300,000 to go to Cotten's widow, Jennifer Robertson, who advanced that amount to start the court proceedings; C$200,000 will go to Ernst & Young and another C$250,000 to its lawyers; C$229,842 will go to Quadriga's lawyers; and C$17,000 to independent contractors. [9][10], The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were reportedly investigating the company. Where was the rest of the money? Reported by Fansided, Globe and Mail journalist Nathan Vanderklippe spoke to Dr. Sharma, who dealt with Cotten when he came into the hospital. Likewise, the public was not much intrigued about their lives up until . Ernst & Young was able to recover $24m in cash and $9m in assets held by Robertson. [17] In June 2017, Quadriga announced that they had lost ethereum worth US$14 million due to a smart contract error. Investors who lost $190m demand exhumation of cryptocurrency mogul How did Gerald Cotten die? A Quadriga mystery, from India to Canada and Gerald Cotten's body should be exhumed, investors in QuadrigaCX tell [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. 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. How Gerald Cotten, the "Crypto King," Really Died - Bustle ", QuadrigaCX founder used aliases, moved assets into personal accounts: report, "Quadriga Crypto Mystery Deepens With 'Cold Wallets' Found Empty", "After founder's sudden death, cryptocurrency exchange can't access $190 million in holdings", "Crypto Mystery: Quadriga's Wallets Are Empty, Putting Fate Of $137 Million in Doubt", "Unable to Retrieve Money, Cryptocurrency Investors Want Dead Executive Exhumed", Crypto exchange Quadriga was a fraud and founder was running Ponzi scheme, OSC report finds, QuadrigaCX: A Review by Staff of the Ontario Securities Commission, Quadriga CEO's widow speaks out over his death and the missing crypto millions, "Quadriga Accidentally Moved More Bitcoin to an Inaccessible Wallet", "Quadriga Founder's Widow Seeks Repayment of Her Costs", "Quadriga Lawyer Withdraws Amid Conflict of Interest Concerns", "Hot Docs Shane Smith: Weve crossed the digital divide", "Exit Scam: A Podcast Series about the Death and Afterlife of Gerald Cotten", "More than $400,000 in QuadrigaCX cryptocurrency disappears into 'cold wallet', "Before Quadriga: How shady ventures in Gerald Cotten's youth led to the creation of his ill-fated cryptocurrency exchange", "Widow of Quadriga crypto founder Gerald Cotten says she had no idea about the $215-million scam", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quadriga_Fintech_Solutions&oldid=1141935834, Financial services companies established in 2013, Companies that have filed for bankruptcy in Canada, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:09. A sneak preview of the Netflix doc contains images that suggest the documentary will show the investors dive deeper into these conspiracies. All that money vanished into the crypto ether and only once investigations occured did people start to think that it may have been a scam all along. His death left investors locked out of their money and left Jennifer Robertson, Gerry's wife . 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. The OSC tugged on the same thread, but neither could get hold of him. 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,. A NEW documentary on rogue crypto trader Gerald Cotton, who took up to $215million in Bitcoin and other digital currencies to his grave, has sparked rumours he may have faked his death. [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. Customers reported that once they arrived, there was nobody in the office, or that there was no cash to be disbursed. Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten | FAKE Behind 'Hunt For The Crypto King' Netflix | Where Are They Now?Subscribe Here! 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. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, A lost password, a sudden death and $180M in missing crypto, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, 50 cash with friend referrals at Virgin Mobile, 15% off extra plans with this Vodafone promo, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. In December 2018, Cotten died during his honeymoon with his wife, Jennifer Robertson, in Jaipur, India. Either this is a 1 in 100 million coincidence or he is still alive. While the large increase in volume increased commissions, it also caused cash-flow problems due to the exchange's reliance on external payment processors and its lack of a proper accounting system. But when the banks, the law, and the. ", He added: "We thought we were looking for basically a rich guy who had stolen money, Now either [Cotten is] dead, or if hes alive, hes a gambling addict whos broke.". name was not the same as Robertsons ex-husband, some angry investors lobbed death threats at Jennifer, convinced that she had murdered Cotten, too. "I kept asking them: Where's my money? Soon enough, QuadrigaCXs customers struggled to withdraw money from the exchange. 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. He graduated from York with a bachelor of business administration in 2010. "I couldn't get any sleep. 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. Cotten had allegedly told his wife he would create a mechanism that would allow her to access all of his crypto-related passwords should he die but. His death certificate spells his name wrong, he was supposedly buried in a closed casket in Canada even though there is no evidence his body was ever moved from India and why would it need to be a closed casket? Then you get rid of the fees. Like the end of a classic Ponzi, the OSC said that due to Cottens bad trades, QuadrigaCX couldnt afford to credit customers who withdrew funds. This was more of a gamblers high than a rich guys high as he pursued more and more of other peoples money, the stakes went up. "What Quadriga really did with the money that customers gave it to buy Bitcoin remains a mystery," according to Chainalysis. X-rays. He was one of the wealthiest people in the crypto world, and his company was at its pinnacle. QuadrigaCX's Crypto Accounts Were Emptied Months Before CEO's Image Source: Social Media. Is Gerald Cotten really dead? : r/QuadrigaCX - reddit When Quadriga CEO Gerald Cotten died suddenly in 2018, the passcodes for his cryptocurrency exchange died with him. But the money, of course, was still missing. In January 2014 they installed the second Bitcoin ATM in Vancouver. Robertson has not been accused of any wrongdoing - and has denied any knowledge of her husband's business dealings. Two years after Liberty Reserve was taken down, the pair launched Quadriga, though Mr Patryn left the company in 2016 over a dispute on whether to list the company publicly and claims no involvement in the resulting schemes. And meanwhile, Dead Man's Switch director Sheona McDonald said: "There's only two people who really know what happened in India.". Before Quadriga: How shady ventures in Gerald Cotten's youth led to the The Crypto King, aka Gerald "Gerry" Cotten, died in 2018, but his mysterious death is still a subject of controversy today. [19], Some Reddit users have suggested that Cotten faked his own death in order to defraud customers through an exit scam, while others believe that Cotten's death exposed a Ponzi scheme. #GeraldCottenReallyDead #GeraldCottenStillAliveGerald Cotten Really Dead ? as well as other partner offers and accept our. And for some, things still looked suspicious. After his death in December, his colleagues said that about $137 million in cryptocurrency belonging to about 115,000 customers was held offline in "cold storage" and inaccessible. Tong Zou is one of thousands of customers left seriously out of pocket following Gerald 'Gerry' Cotten's mysterious death in 2018 at the age of 30. Mr Cotten, 30 at the time of his death, seemed to be living the dream life of a financial titan. They also found a substantial amount of money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle for the couple, including the use of private jets and luxury vehicles. 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. Gerald Cotten was 15 when he ran his first documented get-rich-quick scheme. Then, out of the blue, one Mike Patryn joined the Telegram group that investors were using to discuss conspiracies. Wood ordered a "30-day stay that precludes filing of claims against Quadriga", which is a temporary legal protection from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, a legal status that allows insolvent corporations to restructure their business and financial affairs. Gerald died while on a honeymoon with his wife Jennifer in India, Cotten has been recast since his death as a thrill-seeking scammer, Michael Patryn - real name Omar Dhanani - had previously been convicted of identity fraud, Bitcoin miner electrocuted to death by his computer after forcing it to churn out endless amounts of crypto. He died just nine days into his honeymoon due to an acute stomach ache. His body was repatriated to Canada and a funeral was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Have something to tell us about this article? His wife has said she was "upset and disappointed" to learn about the extent of the fraud at her husbands company, writing in a 2019 statement, she wasnt aware or involved in Gerrys trading activities, nor his appropriation of customer funds." We pay for your stories! While Robertson has possession of the laptop containing the necessary passwords, she remains locked out. Quadriga had four employees in 2015 with offices in Vancouver and Toronto, but ran out of money by June 2015. Here Is Why People Think Gerald Cotten Is Still Alive. Quadriga's customers are owed C$260 million in cryptocurrency and cash. Supposedly, Cottens business associates didnt even know he was married. He launched QuadrigaCX in 2013, and it quickly became one of the largest crypto exchanges. [48], On 5 February 2019, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Michael J. The podcast was hosted by Takara Small. [17][20], In 2017, Bitcoin experienced a speculative frenzy rising in price from about US$1,000 to almost US$20,000. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Investors are still hunting for millions in vanished cryptocurrencies, writes Josh Marcus, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. I'm 99% sure he is still alive living nicely. Cotten told a Globe and Mail reporter that the banks, which didnt trust crypto exchanges, had frozen the exchanges bank accounts. Something was afoot. Zou trusted Quadriga CX, Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with C$500,000 (305,000). My sisters not a liar.. [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. We explain who Gerald Cotten is, the subject of this documentary, and reveal where he is now, including the mystery surrounding his downfall. Shortly after, the exchange stopped working entirely. And not even he thinks that Gerald is deadnor did he ever meet his wife. The death, and the resulting collapse of Quadriga, set off a score of government and citizen investigations into how so much digital currency could be spirited away. 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". [15] He learned about Bitcoin in Toronto and travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he founded Quadriga in November 2013 with Michael Patryn. Despite no concrete evidenceindeed, the murdered mans first name was not the same as Robertsons ex-husband, some angry investors lobbed death threats at Jennifer, convinced that she had murdered Cotten, too. "[18], The company tried to raise money and list on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) working with Patryn. I believe this is the reason why Quadriga could be formed because they made a fortune from Scamming before Quadriga. The media dragged Gerald Cotten's wife, Jennifer Robertson, into the spotlight after his mysterious death. Angry and suspicious investors congregated on Reddit and Telegram to try to get to the bottom of the mystery. So the. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The streaming service announced the feature alongside a slate of upcoming true-crime projects last week. Gerald Cotten: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Mr Cottens story is now the subject of the documentary Dead Mans Switch: A Crypto Mystery, which streams on Discovery+, and in the new memoir of wife Jennifer Robertson, Bitcoin Widow: Love, Betrayal and the Missing Millions. TRUST NO ONE: THE HUNT FOR THE CRYPTO KING, a DONT F*CK WITH CATS-style investigative thriller, is now streaming on Netflix. A big chunk of it was given to him by his parents. Despite presenting himself as mild mannered and clean cut, Cotten was found to have had a history of carrying out financial cons - starting when he was just a teenager. At the time, he was the CEO of QuadrigaCX, a company that performed cryptocurrency exchanges. 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. November 28, 2022 by Nurudeen. [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. And with the mystery of Quadriga still being unraveled by the Feds, Mounties, amateur sleuths and investigative journalists - the question remains what happened to Cotten? He hopes the Netflix doc will get authorities to "move their asses and do something about it" but also to raise awareness "so it doesn't happen to other people". 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. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Here's my take on Gerald Cotten and his suspicious death. Bankruptcy trustees have managed to recover around $34million from Quadriga and $12million in assests from Cotten's estate - but the rest remains locked away in the digital world of crypto. 'Bitcoin widow' reveals how she fell victim to her own husband's $215m It left Robertson the entire C$9.6-million estate and named her as the trustee. The funeral, according to a Redditor claiming to be a contractor for QuadrigaCX, said that it was a closed-casket affair, and that Jennifer was fake grieving and dancing at the funeral to bacchanalian excess, and even kicked out Geralds family. Netflix announced an upcoming documentary about the Quadriga Bitcoin saga and the death of CEO Gerald Cotten. By Robin Hill-Gray. One of the Globe reporters had a hunch that this was Gerry Cotten, and traced the account to another online den of thieves, BlackHatWorld. A computer issue wiped $14 million of Ethereum off the exchange. Its the swindler story you havent heard of until now. 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,. Fifteen years later, Mr Cotten, known as Gerry, would be accused of swindling people online of a much bigger prize. 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. Jennifer Robertson (Quadriga) - Wikipedia [49], On 5 March 2019, Justice Wood extended Quadriga's court protection to 23 April. The doctor, reported the Globe, initially diagnosed Cotten with little more than travelers diahrrea, but kept him in hospital just in case. thinks that Gerald is deadnor did he ever meet his wife. Gerald Cotten was the founder of one of Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Quadriga CX. The circumstances sparked speculation from some in the crypto community that the CEO faked his death and stole his clients' money. [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. She had accompanied him to a hospital in Jaipur the previous day and he was diagnosed with septic shock, perforation, peritonitis, and intestinal obstruction. 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. At this point, lots of investors think that Cotten, a man alleged to have a history of scamming, really had faked his own death. 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. , initially diagnosed Cotten with little more than travelers diahrrea, but kept him in hospital just in case. California (2) Massachusetts (1) Texas (2) Refine Your Search Results. seeks to unravel the mystery of Gerald Cotten, the CEO of crypto exchange QuadrigaCX, who died in 2018. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Then, as their accounts accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars, Gerald passed unexpectedly, taking the passwords to the accounts to his grave. Where Is Gerald Cotten Now? - Vimbuzz.com The company's CEO and founder, Gerald William Cotten, allegedly died in 2018 after traveling to India. [47], Gerald Cotten's widow has maintained that she knew nothing about her husband's activities and agreed to forfeit $12 million in assets. Cotten also took flying lessons as he appeared to be possibly preparing for a life on the run. You transferred them $1,000 and you could see the crypto in your account. The public didnt learn about the death for another 36 days, until January 2019. Gerald Cotten, the founder of QuadrigaCX, was thought to have had sole access to the funds and coins exchanged on it. It stated that Gerald Cotten committed fraud by opening accounts under aliases and crediting himself with fictitious currency and crypto asset balances, which he traded with unsuspecting clients and that "What happened at Quadriga was an old-fashioned fraud wrapped in modern technology. However, it was eventually discovered that Gerald had transferred all of his belongings to his wife before his death. Mom 'stabs 3 of her kids to death and wounds 2 others in unsupervised visit', Daughter of murdered couple linked to Delphi case reveals paranoia, Serena Williams stepmom's debts continue to spiral amid crumbling home battle, Alex Murdaugh looks unrecognizable in new mugshot hours after sentencing, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP. [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. Quadriga Fintech Solutions was the owner and operator of QuadrigaCX, which was believed to be Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Gerald Cotten was the talk of the cryptocurrency world in Canada after he introduced QuadrigaCX, a place where investors could buy and sell cryptocurrency. gerald cotten belize - Fullpackcanva.com There is a clear lesson here that having a single person owning this information creates a huge vulnerability.. [33], Cotten's will was signed 27 November 2018, twelve days before he allegedly died. Its pretty much money by people for people.. But months later, customers still couldnt take their money out.