Sam Sharma đối mặt với án tù 8 năm vì vụ lừa đảo tiền điện tử $25 triệu của Centra Tech

Sohrab Sharma, widely known as Sam Sharma, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence for orchestrating one of the cryptocurrency industry’s more notorious ICO scams. The Centra Tech co-founder defrauded investors of $25 million through a fraudulent digital token offering that promised access to crypto-based financial services, including a branded debit card. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed the sentencing, marking a significant legal victory in cracking down on early-stage crypto fraud schemes.

The $25 Million Deception Behind Centra Tech’s Fraudulent Token Sale

In July 2017, Sam Sharma and his co-conspirators Robert Farkas and Raymond Trapani conducted an unlawful initial coin offering to raise capital from unsuspecting investors. The trio made material misrepresentations about Centra Tech’s financial products and capabilities, leveraging the ICO boom period when regulatory frameworks were still taking shape. Investors purchased digital tokens under false pretenses, believing they were backing a legitimate financial technology venture. The scam exemplified how emerging crowdfunding models in the crypto space were exploited by bad actors who lacked any genuine business infrastructure.

Criminal Conspiracy and Coordinated Securities Fraud

Sam Sharma’s guilt wasn’t limited to fundraising deception. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud—charges that reflected the coordinated nature of the scheme. The conspiracy relied on deliberate omissions and false claims designed to solicit capital through channels that crossed state and international lines, triggering federal prosecution. Co-conspirator Robert Farkas received a lighter sentence of one year and one day in December, though he too faced supervised release and asset forfeiture, including a Rolex watch purchased with stolen investor funds.

Legal Consequences and Asset Recovery

Beyond the eight-year prison term, Sam Sharma was ordered to pay $20,000 in fines and forfeit approximately $36 million in illicit gains. The U.S. Marshals Service seized cryptocurrency holdings—primarily ether—valued at roughly $33.4 million and converted them to strengthen restitution efforts. These aggressive forfeiture actions sent a clear message: the U.S. government would pursue comprehensive financial penalties against crypto fraudsters, not merely prison time. The precedent established through Centra Tech prosecutions became a blueprint for subsequent ICO fraud investigations.

Industry Lessons: Recognizing ICO Red Flags

The Centra Tech case remains a cautionary tale for the broader crypto community. During the 2017 ICO rush, distinctive fraud patterns emerged: promises of revolutionary financial products with minimal technical proof, celebrity or influencer endorsements masking empty development teams, and vague whitepapers lacking concrete implementation roadmaps. Sam Sharma’s conviction underscores that investors who conduct due diligence—verifying team credentials, scrutinizing technical details, and questioning unrealistic claims—significantly reduce exposure to such schemes. Regulators learned from Centra Tech that earlier intervention in token offerings could have prevented massive investor losses, informing how SEC and FINRA now approach emerging fundraising models in digital assets.