Audit log

Every state-changing event for Mirror Trading International: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot taken at submission time, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-05-30 12:59:37Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
   anchoranchored

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   ●mainnet-betaslot 423,161,138

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   rCyCSyvokWdp…iewJpweccopyexplorer ↗

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   3Jig7262fAB9…pzvdyNpkcopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

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   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"3d7094e4-ff02-4ba2-b7e4-da398ce6660f","kind":"publish","page_slug":"mirror-trading-international","published_at":"2026-05-30T12:59:37.134Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Mirror Trading International","sections":[{"content":"Mirror Trading International Proprietary Limited (MTI) was incorporated in South Africa and operated primarily from Stellenbosch, Western Cape. Founded by Cornelius Johannes Steynberg, MTI presented itself to potential investors as an automated Bitcoin forex-trading platform. Participants were instructed to deposit Bitcoin into a pooled trading account, after which MTI allegedly used a proprietary artificial intelligence software bot to conduct high-frequency foreign exchange trading, generating average monthly returns of approximately 10 percent. According to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the trading mechanism was entirely illusory: no substantive trading occurred, and investor funds were misappropriated rather than deployed. MTI also operated a multi-level marketing structure that paid up to four streams of referral commissions, incentivizing aggressive recruitment of new participants whose deposits funded payouts to earlier investors. The South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) noted in 2020 that it could not confirm the existence of the claimed R2.9 billion in client trading funds.","heading":"Overview and Business Model","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8549-22: CFTC Charges South African Pool Operator and CEO with $1.7 Billion Fraud Involving Bitcoin","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8549-22"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FSCA Investigation Report: Mirror Trading International — Moonstone Information Refinery","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/fsca-reports-on-investigation-into-mirror-trading-international-pty-ltd/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Mirror Trading International — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Trading_International"}]},{"content":"The CFTC documented that MTI and Steynberg accepted at least 29,421 Bitcoin from approximately 23,000 U.S. participants alone, with tens of thousands of additional victims globally. Chainalysis, in its 2021 Crypto Crime Report, identified MTI as the single largest cryptocurrency investment scam of 2020, attributing $588 million worth of Bitcoin received across approximately 470,000 transactions to the scheme that year. Total investor exposure is estimated by U.S. courts and regulators at over $1.733 billion. Approximately 300,000 members across roughly 200 countries participated in MTI at its peak, according to reporting by News24 and the CFTC complaint. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority of South Africa estimated that MTI claimed to hold more than R2.9 billion (approximately $170 million at August 2020 exchange rates) in client funds, though investigators could not verify those funds existed. The Western Cape High Court, in its April 2023 judgment, highlighted that one recruiter alone, Ignatius Bell, had approximately 190,000 investors in his downline, illustrating the depth of the multi-level recruitment network.","heading":"Scale of the Fraud","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8696-23: Federal Court Orders South African CEO to Pay Over $3.4 Billion","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8696-23"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Was by Far 2020's Biggest Investment Scam — Chainalysis / Moneyweb","type":"research","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-crypto/bitcoin/mti-was-by-far-2020s-biggest-investment-scam-chainalysis/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"SA Ponzi Scheme MTI Ordered to Pay R32bn to Thousands of US Victims — News24","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/sa-ponzi-scheme-mti-ordered-to-pay-r32bn-to-thousands-of-us-victims-20230915"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Western Cape High Court Judgment ZAWCHC 83 (April 2023)","type":"court_filing","url":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAWCHC/2023/83.html"}]},{"content":"The FSCA launched a formal investigation into MTI on 18 August 2020 after determining the company was conducting unlicensed financial services activity and had not applied for a Financial Services Provider licence. On 26 October 2020, the FSCA executed three search-and-seizure warrants at the residences of Steynberg and MTI Marketing Director Cheri Marks, as well as the MTI offices in Stellenbosch. The FSCA also warned the public on 17 December 2020 that MTI was an illegal operation and advised investors to withdraw their funds. Shortly after this warning, in December 2020, MTI abruptly halted all member payments and Steynberg disappeared from South Africa, traveling to Brazil. The scheme's collapse left hundreds of thousands of investors unable to access their deposited Bitcoin. On 19 January 2021, the FSCA announced completion of its investigation and shared its findings with court-appointed liquidators. The Texas State Securities Board had separately identified MTI as a fraudulent multilevel marketing investment scheme operating within the United States.","heading":"Regulatory Warnings and Collapse","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FSCA Conducts Search Operations at Premises of Mirror Trading International — FANews","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fanews.co.za/article/compliance-regulatory/2/financial-sector-conduct-authority-fsca-was-fsb/1059/fsca-conducts-search-operations-at-premises-of-mirror-trading-international/30558"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FSCA: Mirror Trading International Is an Illegal Operation — BehindMLM","type":"news_article","url":"https://behindmlm.com/companies/mirror-trading-international/fsca-mirror-trading-international-is-an-illegal-operation/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Commissioner Shuts Down Fraudulent International Multilevel Marketing Investment Scheme in Texas — Texas State Securities Board","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ssb.texas.gov/news-publications/commissioner-shuts-down-fraudulent-international-multilevel-marketing-investment"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CEO of MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Flees South Africa — Bitcoin.com News","type":"news_article","url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/ceo-of-mti-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-flees-south-africa-in-a-possible-exit-scam-funds-blocked/"}]},{"content":"Johann Steynberg was arrested on 29 December 2021 by Brazilian military police in Goiania, Goias state, initially on charges of possessing forged identity documents. He was detained pursuant to an INTERPOL red notice and has remained in Brazilian custody as extradition proceedings continued. In June 2021, the Western Cape High Court placed MTI into final liquidation. On 26 April 2023, the Western Cape High Court formally declared MTI a pyramid and Ponzi-type scheme in contravention of Sections 42 and 43 of South Africa's Consumer Protection Act, citing the binary recruitment structure and the absence of any genuine trading activity as key findings. In the United States, the CFTC filed its complaint against MTI and Steynberg on 30 June 2022. A U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas entered a consent order against MTI on 6 September 2023, requiring the company to pay over $1.7 billion in restitution to defrauded victims, with a permanent trading and registration ban also imposed. On 24 April 2023, Judge Lee Yeakel of the same court issued a default judgment against Steynberg personally, ordering him to pay $1,733,838,372 in restitution to victims and a civil monetary penalty of a further $1,733,838,372, representing the highest civil monetary penalty ever ordered in a CFTC case. A UK court additionally backed the South African liquidators in January 2024 in related proceedings. In August 2023, a Brazilian court found Steynberg guilty of using forged identity documents.","heading":"Legal Proceedings and Court Judgments","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8696-23: Federal Court Orders South African CEO to Pay Over $3.4 Billion","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8696-23"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8772-23: Federal Court Orders South African Company to Pay Over $1.7 Billion","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8772-23"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Western Cape High Court Judgment — SAFLII ZAWCHC 83 (April 2023)","type":"court_filing","url":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAWCHC/2023/83.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Mastermind Johann Steynberg to Remain in Brazilian Prison — News24","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/mti-mastermind-johann-steynberg-to-remain-in-brazilian-prison-ahead-of-extradition-hearing-20220608"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI's Johann Steynberg Arrested in Brazil — Moneyweb","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/mtis-johann-steynberg-arrested-in-brazil/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"UK Court Backs South African Liquidators in MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme — BizNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.biznews.com/intelligence/2024/01/23/uk-court-liquidators-mirror-trading-international-bitcoin-ponzi"}]},{"content":"MTI's court-appointed liquidators initiated a global recovery effort targeting Bitcoin holdings deposited with third-party brokers on behalf of the pool. The most significant early recovery came from FXChoice, a Belize-based forex broker with which MTI allegedly held client funds. The FSCA authorized the transfer of MTI's frozen funds held at FXChoice to the liquidators, resulting in the recovery of approximately 1,281 BTC — worth roughly R1.05 billion at the time of transfer — representing a small fraction of total investor losses. Liquidators subsequently pursued claims in multiple jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, where a court ruling in January 2024 supported their position in contested proceedings. South African courts have also examined disputes among competing creditor groups regarding the pace and management of the liquidation process. The total amount recovered remains substantially below the over $1.7 billion assessed as investor losses by U.S. courts. Individual investors who were net positive — having withdrawn more than they deposited — have been subject to legal claims by liquidators seeking to claw back those gains for distribution to net-loss victims.","heading":"Asset Recovery and Liquidation","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Approximately 1,200 BTC Recovered from Mirror Trading International — BehindMLM","type":"news_article","url":"https://behindmlm.com/companies/mirror-trading-international/1200-btc-recovered-from-mirror-trading-international/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Liquidation: A Global Effort to Recover Crypto Funds — Moonstone Information Refinery","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/mti-liquidation-a-global-effort-to-recover-crypto-funds-from-a-ponzi-scheme/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"UK Court Backs South African Liquidators in MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme — BizNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.biznews.com/intelligence/2024/01/23/uk-court-liquidators-mirror-trading-international-bitcoin-ponzi"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Made Some Money Off Mirror Trading International? It's Time to Pay Up — The Citizen","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.citizen.co.za/business/personal-finance/mirror-trading-international-winners-must-pay/"}]},{"content":"Central to MTI's promotional materials was the claim that an advanced artificial intelligence software application continuously traded Bitcoin against major foreign exchange pairs, generating consistent positive returns regardless of market conditions. MTI marketing described this system as proprietary and immune to standard market losses. Investigators and courts found no credible evidence that any such bot existed in a meaningful capacity. The CFTC complaint stated that what limited trading MTI conducted was done manually and generated substantial losses, yet monthly payouts averaging 10 percent were maintained — consistent with a Ponzi structure using new capital to satisfy prior obligations. The Western Cape High Court's 2023 ruling confirmed that no genuine AI trading infrastructure supported investor returns. The FSCA similarly reported an inability to confirm that the claimed trading funds or activity existed. TRM Labs' blockchain analysis further corroborated that new investor funds were being used to pay earlier participants and that no substantive trading was being performed. The fabricated AI bot narrative mirrors a broader pattern of fraudulent crypto schemes using technological complexity to obscure the absence of legitimate business activity.","heading":"The AI Trading Bot Narrative","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8549-22: CFTC Charges South African Pool Operator and CEO","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8549-22"},{"credibility":2,"name":"South Africa, Brazil, U.S. and Others Take Action Involving Billion Dollar Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/south-africa-brazil-u-s-and-others-take-action-involving-billion-dollar-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Broker Boots Mirror Trading International, Claims No Trading — BehindMLM","type":"news_article","url":"https://behindmlm.com/companies/mirror-trading-international/broker-boots-mirror-trading-international-claims-no-trading/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Customer Advisory: AI Won't Turn Trading Bots into Money Machines","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/LearnAndProtect/AdvisoriesAndArticles/AITradingBots.html"}]},{"content":"Cornelius Johannes Steynberg served as the founder and public chief executive of MTI. He was the controlling person of the scheme and personally directed the solicitation of Bitcoin from investors worldwide, according to the CFTC complaint. South African media reporting and court documents indicate Steynberg lived a lavish lifestyle during the scheme's operation. Following the FSCA's December 2020 public warning, Steynberg left South Africa and traveled to Brazil, where he allegedly lived under assumed identities. Brazilian authorities arrested him on 29 December 2021 in Goiania on charges of possessing two forged identity documents. He remained in Brazilian custody as extradition proceedings were contested; a Brazilian court denied his application for release pending extradition. In August 2023, a Brazilian court convicted him of document forgery. The U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges, and the CFTC secured a civil default judgment totaling over $3.4 billion against him personally in April 2023 — the largest civil monetary penalty in CFTC history. Reports from 2022 indicated Steynberg had fathered a child with a Brazilian woman and sought to use this family connection as grounds to oppose extradition, though courts rejected this argument.","heading":"Johann Steynberg — Individual Profile","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8696-23: Federal Court Orders South African CEO to Pay Over $3.4 Billion","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8696-23"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI's Johann Steynberg Fights Extradition from Brazil — Moneyweb","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/in-depth/investigations/mtis-johann-steynberg-fights-extradition-from-brazil/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin, Luxury and Lies: Johann Steynberg's Life on the Run — Currency News","type":"news_article","url":"https://currencynews.co.za/bitcoin-luxury-and-lies-johann-steynbergs-life-on-the-run/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Charges Johann Steynberg and MTI with Defrauding 23,000 US Investors — Moneyweb","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-crypto/us-charges-johann-steynberg-and-mti-with-defrauding-23-000-us-investors/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CEO of Crypto-Ponzi Scheme Mirror Trading International Arrested in Brazil — BeInCrypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://beincrypto.com/ceo-of-crypto-ponzi-scheme-mirror-trading-international-arrested-in-brazil/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8549-22: CFTC Charges South African Pool Operator and CEO with $1.7 Billion Fraud Involving Bitcoin","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8549-22"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8696-23: Federal Court Orders South African CEO to Pay Over $3.4 Billion for Forex Fraud","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8696-23"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CFTC Press Release 8772-23: Federal Court Orders South African Company to Pay Over $1.7 Billion in Restitution for Forex Fraud","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8772-23"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Western Cape High Court Judgment — SAFLII ZAWCHC 83 (26 April 2023)","type":"court_filing","url":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAWCHC/2023/83.html"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Mirror Trading International — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Trading_International"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Was by Far 2020's Biggest Investment Scam — Chainalysis / Moneyweb","type":"research","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-crypto/bitcoin/mti-was-by-far-2020s-biggest-investment-scam-chainalysis/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FSCA Reports on Investigation into Mirror Trading International — Moonstone Information Refinery","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/fsca-reports-on-investigation-into-mirror-trading-international-pty-ltd/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FSCA Conducts Search Operations at Premises of MTI — FANews","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fanews.co.za/article/compliance-regulatory/2/financial-sector-conduct-authority-fsca-was-fsb/1059/fsca-conducts-search-operations-at-premises-of-mirror-trading-international/30558"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CEO of MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Flees South Africa — Bitcoin.com News","type":"news_article","url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/ceo-of-mti-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-flees-south-africa-in-a-possible-exit-scam-funds-blocked/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI's Johann Steynberg Arrested in Brazil — Moneyweb","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/mtis-johann-steynberg-arrested-in-brazil/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Mastermind Johann Steynberg to Remain in Brazilian Prison — News24","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/mti-mastermind-johann-steynberg-to-remain-in-brazilian-prison-ahead-of-extradition-hearing-20220608"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI's Johann Steynberg Fights Extradition from Brazil — Moneyweb","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/in-depth/investigations/mtis-johann-steynberg-fights-extradition-from-brazil/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"South Africa, Brazil, U.S. and Others Take Action Involving Billion Dollar Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/south-africa-brazil-u-s-and-others-take-action-involving-billion-dollar-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Judge Fines MTI Boss a Record R64bn — News24","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/court-rules-sa-crypto-platform-mirror-trading-international-was-unlawful-ponzi-scheme-20230428"},{"credibility":2,"name":"UK Court Backs South African Liquidators in MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme — BizNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.biznews.com/intelligence/2024/01/23/uk-court-liquidators-mirror-trading-international-bitcoin-ponzi"},{"credibility":2,"name":"MTI Liquidation: A Global Effort to Recover Crypto Funds — Moonstone Information Refinery","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/mti-liquidation-a-global-effort-to-recover-crypto-funds-from-a-ponzi-scheme/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Broker Boots Mirror Trading International, Claims No Trading — BehindMLM","type":"news_article","url":"https://behindmlm.com/companies/mirror-trading-international/broker-boots-mirror-trading-international-claims-no-trading/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CFTC Charges South African Bitcoin Club MTI With $1.7B Fraud — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/06/30/cftc-charges-south-african-bitcoin-club-mti-in-17b-fraud"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Commissioner Shuts Down Fraudulent International Multilevel Marketing Investment Scheme in Texas — Texas State Securities Board","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ssb.texas.gov/news-publications/commissioner-shuts-down-fraudulent-international-multilevel-marketing-investment"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Bitcoin, Luxury and Lies: Johann Steynberg's Life on the Run — Currency News","type":"news_article","url":"https://currencynews.co.za/bitcoin-luxury-and-lies-johann-steynbergs-life-on-the-run/"}],"summary":"Mirror Trading International (MTI) was a South African cryptocurrency trading company operated by Johann Steynberg that collected approximately $1.7 billion in Bitcoin from roughly 300,000 investors worldwide between 2018 and 2020, falsely claiming a proprietary artificial intelligence trading bot would generate consistent monthly returns. The scheme was a classic Ponzi structure in which new investor deposits were used to pay earlier participants while no substantive trading occurred. MTI collapsed in December 2020 when Steynberg fled to Brazil; the company was subsequently placed into liquidation, and both the South African and U.S. courts have formally declared it a fraudulent pyramid and Ponzi scheme.","timeline":[{"date":"2018-05-18","event":"MTI begins soliciting Bitcoin from investors, according to the CFTC complaint period start date.","source":"CFTC Press Release 8549-22","source_url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8549-22"},{"date":"2019-01-01","event":"MTI formally launches in South Africa as an automated Bitcoin trading platform under Johann Steynberg.","source":"Mirror Trading International — Wikipedia","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Trading_International"},{"date":"2020-08-18","event":"The South African FSCA launches a formal investigation into MTI for conducting unlicensed financial services activity.","source":"FSCA Investigation — Moonstone Information Refinery","source_url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/fsca-reports-on-investigation-into-mirror-trading-international-pty-ltd/"},{"date":"2020-09-01","event":"Anonymous ZA exposes vulnerabilities in MTI's website, raising public concerns about the platform's integrity.","source":"Mirror Trading International — Wikipedia","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Trading_International"},{"date":"2020-10-26","event":"FSCA executes three search-and-seizure warrants at Steynberg's home, Marketing Director Cheri Marks's home, and MTI's Stellenbosch offices.","source":"FSCA Conducts Search Operations — FANews","source_url":"https://www.fanews.co.za/article/compliance-regulatory/2/financial-sector-conduct-authority-fsca-was-fsb/1059/fsca-conducts-search-operations-at-premises-of-mirror-trading-international/30558"},{"date":"2020-12-17","event":"FSCA publicly warns investors that MTI is an illegal operation and urges withdrawal of funds.","source":"FSCA: Mirror Trading International Is an Illegal Operation — BehindMLM","source_url":"https://behindmlm.com/companies/mirror-trading-international/fsca-mirror-trading-international-is-an-illegal-operation/"},{"date":"2020-12-01","event":"MTI abruptly halts payments to members and Johann Steynberg disappears from South Africa, later confirmed to have traveled to Brazil.","source":"CEO of MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Flees South Africa — Bitcoin.com News","source_url":"https://news.bitcoin.com/ceo-of-mti-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-flees-south-africa-in-a-possible-exit-scam-funds-blocked/"},{"date":"2021-01-19","event":"FSCA announces completion of its investigation into MTI and shares findings with court-appointed liquidators.","source":"FSCA Reports on Investigation — Moonstone Information Refinery","source_url":"https://www.moonstone.co.za/fsca-reports-on-investigation-into-mirror-trading-international-pty-ltd/"},{"date":"2021-06-01","event":"Western Cape High Court places MTI into final liquidation.","source":"Mirror Trading International — Wikipedia","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Trading_International"},{"date":"2021-12-29","event":"Johann Steynberg is arrested by Brazilian military police in Goiania on charges of possessing forged identity documents; held pursuant to an INTERPOL warrant.","source":"MTI's Johann Steynberg Arrested in Brazil — Moneyweb","source_url":"https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/mtis-johann-steynberg-arrested-in-brazil/"},{"date":"2022-06-08","event":"A Brazilian court denies Steynberg's application for release from prison ahead of extradition hearings.","source":"MTI Mastermind to Remain in Brazilian Prison — News24","source_url":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/mti-mastermind-johann-steynberg-to-remain-in-brazilian-prison-ahead-of-extradition-hearing-20220608"},{"date":"2022-06-30","event":"CFTC files civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas against MTI and Steynberg, alleging $1.7 billion fraud involving Bitcoin.","source":"CFTC Press Release 8549-22","source_url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8549-22"},{"date":"2023-04-24","event":"U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel issues a default judgment against Johann Steynberg personally: $1.733 billion in restitution plus $1.733 billion civil monetary penalty — the largest civil penalty in CFTC history.","source":"CFTC Press Release 8696-23","source_url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8696-23"},{"date":"2023-04-26","event":"Western Cape High Court formally declares MTI a pyramid and Ponzi-type scheme in contravention of South Africa's Consumer Protection Act.","source":"Western Cape High Court Judgment ZAWCHC 83","source_url":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAWCHC/2023/83.html"},{"date":"2023-08-01","event":"A Brazilian court convicts Steynberg of using forged identity documents.","source":"South Africa, Brazil, U.S. and Others Take Action — TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/south-africa-brazil-u-s-and-others-take-action-involving-billion-dollar-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme"},{"date":"2023-09-06","event":"U.S. District Court enters consent order against MTI requiring over $1.7 billion in restitution to defrauded victims, with permanent trading and registration bans.","source":"CFTC Press Release 8772-23","source_url":"https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8772-23"},{"date":"2024-01-23","event":"A UK court rules in favor of South African liquidators in related Mirror Trading International proceedings.","source":"UK Court Backs South African Liquidators — BizNews","source_url":"https://www.biznews.com/intelligence/2024/01/23/uk-court-liquidators-mirror-trading-international-bitcoin-ponzi"}]},"v":1}

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   python -m src.verify_decision 24d0fc9c-4fd0-46e0-9e6b-9549ddc39cb4copy