Crime Stories (with cryptos behind)
Dominik Nawracaj
Crime stories (with crypto behind)
Everyone is dreaming of being rich and there is nothing bad about it, under some circumstances.
One of them is that we have to remember that there are more important things in life than money, like health, our own and our families' safety, or life itself.
Surfing through the internet, I found some horrific stories, which can be a warning that we should be careful about the things we wish.
One of these is especially touching, considering I had a chance to meet the victim personally a few years ago.
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The influencer
Fernando Perez Algaba, 41, also known as "Lettuce" on social media, was well-known for his opulent lifestyle. He had over 1 million Instagram followers. His corpse was discovered after he posted many odd messages online. Currently, it is unknown who committed this crime, although there are several indications that might lead to a solution.
A horrific find
Children playing football on nearby pitch discovered a red suitcase packed with body parts while playing near a creek in the town of Ingeniero Budge in Buenos Aires province. The parents of the youngsters quickly informed the police, who opened the box and discovered the victim's legs and forearm inside. The other hand was discovered in the creek.
The man's identification was established by the tattoo on his hand and his fingerprints. The autopsy revealed that the influencer died as a result of three gunshot wounds.
A few days later, officers recovered the remaining body parts: the torso and the skull. They were perfectly severed, indicating that the dismemberment was done by an expert. However, when the corpse was desecrated, Algaba was most likely already dead.
Algaba's controversial life
Algaba began working at the age of 14, selling sandwiches and delivering pizza in his village. Later, he got into the vehicle industry, buying cars to repair and resell. At the age of 24, he already had a vast warehouse filled with expensive automobiles, motorbikes, and jet skis. He also made millions by selling cryptocurrency, which he heavily promoted to his Instagram followers.
The 41-year-old has launched various firms over the years, resulting in a few conflicts. One of these firms was suspected of fraud, while another lacked a tax identification number. Algaba's third enterprise was in debt. The dead businessman faced several legal issues and was hounded by creditors. A few days before his death, he made bizarre posts on social media.
Potential suspects
According to international news sources, the police have apprehended one suspect. It is unclear who he is; however, there are a few points worth noting. First, consider the negative side of the influencer's behavior.
Algaba had "bad" debts with Argentina's tax department, and his firm, Motors Lettuce SRL, began collecting checks less than a year after its inception in January 2018. The man also left a letter on his phone, alleging that he lost a lot of money speculating in cryptocurrency.
Most importantly, he clashed with Barra Bravas, an Argentine gang who demanded he repay a $40,000 debt. It is unclear whether other members of Algaba's family were involved in any fraud or had any ties to criminals.
Recently, the investigation has been ongoing.
And there I found a story coming from my country:
Sylwester Suszek and his BitBay exchange
Sylwester Suszek was born in Katowice, Poland, in 1989. He became well-known in the media, particularly as the "Polish king of bitcoins," but nothing is known about his personal life. He had a wife and a son, and his sister Nicole spent the most time on social media. He attended Jagiellonian University and earned a bachelor's degree in business and project management. He became interested in cryptocurrencies from the start of their existence and launched his own startup before bitcoin became popular in Poland. Suszek had worked in a variety of different businesses.
Suszek grew up in Piekary Śląskie, and the first business he opened was a computer store. His professional career has developed since 2011, when he managed Multimoney, offering loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. Later, he worked at Doradcy24 as marketing director, helping the company with promotion and marketing strategy. Advisory24 is now Dr.Finance. Then, at Lemon Finance, he served as president, dealing with financial intermediation. In these companies, Suszek not only managed but was also the owner or co-shareholder. The money from these businesses helped him launch BitBay, one of the first cryptocurrency exchanges in Poland.
BitBay: A Short History
His concept for BitBay stemmed from the necessity for a venue to exchange cryptocurrency. BitBay introduced version 2.0 of the platform in December of the same year, after it began operations on March 29, 2014. The exchange, created by Mateusz Bajer and Jacek Rogoż, offered a compensation model based on monthly user transactions, benefiting both the firm and traders.
Initially, it featured BTC and LTC trading, as well as PLN and EUR exchanges. Suszek prioritized the quality of fundamental services over currency diversity. BitBay launched FX tools, a PRO edition of the site, and an affiliate program. Suszek also envisioned developing an ecosystem to educate and safeguard users, as well as expanding BitBay's activities beyond Poland.
In 2018, BitBay's rapid growth faced several challenges. Following the 2017 spike, the market collapsed, prompting Polish authorities to tighten their stance on cryptocurrencies. Sylwester Suszek opted to relocate the company from Poland.
BitBay and controversy.
In 2020, BitBay became involved in controversy following a report by "Superwizjer" TVN that stated the money for starting the exchange were obtained through illicit activity. The report also mentioned an alleged payment offered to journalists to prevent publication. Suszek refuted the charges, alleging that BitBay was the victim of a provocation designed to harm the company's reputation. Reporters from "Superwizjer" replied, stating that Suszek did not reveal the complete truth.
In 2021, BitBay made major modifications. Sylwester Suszek resigned as president after gaining a US investor in May. BitBay announced its makeover in November, changing its name to Zonda. The name change was meant to represent the company's growth, since it already provided 50 cryptocurrencies in addition to bitcoin. Suszek left the management board, and Przemysław Kral took over as president.
Glamorus life
By the age of 30, Suszek had amassed considerable money. He frequently boasted about his affluent lifestyle, which included high-end automobiles and electronics. He purchased an apartment in Warsaw's exclusive "agiel" at Złota 44. He also enjoyed fast automobiles and owned his own private aircraft.
The size of his money was impossible to measure, although he was thought to be one of the wealthiest Poles during the largest Bitcoin boom. He also planned large-scale projects, including as the Suszek Tower in Katowice, as well as real estate assets in many countries and a mineral water plant.
Dissapearance
On March 10, 2022, Sylwester Suszek, 33, attended a business meeting in Czeladź. He was scheduled to arrive at Deltaoils-Plus about 3pm for negotiations. He was last spotted driving away in an unknown direction following a business meeting with Marian Wszołek. It is unclear who he was with or what automobile they were driving. According to unverified reports, he got into a foreign car. The vanished Porsche Macan remained in the parking area beneath the company's building. The family believes that the kidnapping might have occurred. Since then, no one has contacted him.
The investigation
Police from Katowice's Municipal Police Headquarters are investigating the situation where he recently went missing. Various lines in the inquiry are being investigated on an ongoing basis, including those involving the conflict and third-party attempts to harm him. So far, none of this information has been confirmed. There is no proof, and the investigation is stagnant.
In one of the interviews, Nicole Suszek, the missing sister, suggested that the police would eventually uncover her brother's body. He entered a world of immense wealth and great luxury. And when there is riches and glitter, issues frequently arise. New Year's Eve was to be threatened beforehand by unknown offenders, and maybe followed by them.
Disclaimer.
As most of us dream about getting incredibly rich by means of cryptocurrencies and having a glamorous life, just like the people mentioned above, we have to remember that even a big wealth wouldn't be able to provide a safe and truly happy life. Anyway, with my few-dollar investing budget, I don't think that I should worry about it.
I hope you enjoyed reading my post, Thanks for stopping by.
Greetings!