Южнокорейский "бог акций" Ли Си Чжэнь расследуется по делу о мошенничестве с виртуальными активами: ущерб от дела Pica Coin превысил 1,9 миллиарда

【BlockBeats】The Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently took over a virtual asset fraud case. Lee Hee-jin, known as the “Cheongdam-dong Stock God,” has been transferred from the Seoul Gangnam Police Station to the division for in-depth investigation due to suspected fraud.

The origin of this case stems from disputes between Lee Hee-jin and his business partner, the representative of Pica Coin issuing company. Initially, the other party accused Lee Hee-jin of failing to pay approximately 1.88 billion won in settlement fees according to the agreement. However, as the investigation deepened, the victim’s losses continued to expand—additional indictments showed that actual losses have climbed to 28 billion won, equivalent to approximately 19.27 million USD.

Lee Hee-jin’s criminal history is not unprecedented. He previously served time for stock manipulation fraud, serving a sentence between 2016 and 2020. After his release, he appears to have fallen into similar patterns again—suspected of secretly controlling multiple cryptocurrency projects in the virtual asset field.

Pica Coin is a typical case from 2020 to 2021. This Korean cryptocurrency project attracted investors by promoting fractional investment in artwork, advertising that investors could jointly hold renowned artworks and obtain high returns. The project was listed on multiple trading platforms including Upbit and once garnered considerable attention. However, the good times did not last long, as the project was soon exposed for suspected fraud, leaving investors with total losses. In June 2021, Upbit ultimately delisted Pica Coin.