QuadrigaCX / Gerald Cotten
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anchored·4h8aUv…6Q93Summary
QuadrigaCX was Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, founded in 2013 by Gerald Cotten and Michael Patryn. Following CEO Gerald Cotten's reported death in India in December 2018, approximately C$215 million owed to over 76,000 customers became inaccessible. The Ontario Securities Commission concluded in June 2020 that Cotten had operated the exchange as a Ponzi scheme for years, committing fraud through fictitious trading accounts and misappropriating roughly C$169 million in customer funds.
Connected Entities
4 entities · 60 linked investigations- QuadrigaCX→mentioned with→QuadrigaCX / Gerald Cotten(85%)
- QuadrigaCX→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- Ethereum→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- QuadrigaCX / Gerald Cotten→mentioned with→QuadrigaCX(70%)
- QuadrigaCX / Gerald Cotten→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- QuadrigaCX / Gerald Cotten→mentioned with→Bitcoin(65%)
Timeline(20 events)
November 2013
QuadrigaCX (Quadriga Fintech Solutions) founded in Vancouver by Gerald Cotten and Michael Patryn.
Quadriga (company) — Wikipedia2014
Exchange installs second Bitcoin ATM in Vancouver; C$7.4 million in bitcoin exchanged through the year.
Quadriga (company) — Wikipedia2017
QuadrigaCX processes C$1.2 billion in trades; also loses approximately US$14 million in Ethereum due to a smart contract error.
Quadriga (company) — Wikipedia2018
CIBC freezes approximately C$28 million in QuadrigaCX funds held by payment processor Costodian Inc., citing inability to identify the beneficial owner.
Quadriga (company) — WikipediaApril 2018
Blockchain analysts later determine that QuadrigaCX's supposed cold wallets were drained around this date — eight months before Cotten's reported death.
Quadriga's Cryptocurrency Wallets Are Empty — NPR27 November 2018
Gerald Cotten signs his last will and testament, naming wife Jennifer Robertson as sole beneficiary and executor of a C$9.6 million estate — 12 days before his death.
CEO of Canadian Crypto Exchange QuadrigaCX Filed Will 12 Days Before Death — CoinTelegraph8 December 2018
Gerald Cotten is admitted to Fortis Escorts Hospital in Jaipur, India in critical condition.
Indian Hospital Releases Details About QuadrigaCX CEO's Death — CoinDesk9 December 2018
Gerald Cotten declared dead at Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur, India at approximately 7:26 p.m. IST, officially of septic shock and Crohn's disease complications. No autopsy performed.
Indian Hospital Releases Details About QuadrigaCX CEO's Death — CoinDesk14 January 2019
QuadrigaCX publicly announces Cotten's death and the inaccessibility of approximately C$190 million in customer assets.
The complete story of the QuadrigaCX $190 million scandal — Decrypt31 January 2019
QuadrigaCX applies for creditor protection under the CCAA in Nova Scotia.
Court Grants QuadrigaCX Bankruptcy Protection — Bitcoin Magazine5 February 2019
Nova Scotia court grants CCAA protection; Ernst & Young appointed as independent monitor.
Court Grants QuadrigaCX Bankruptcy Protection — NasdaqMarch 2019
Ernst & Young confirms QuadrigaCX cold wallets are empty; no cryptocurrency found in designated storage.
Quadriga's Cryptocurrency Wallets Are Empty — NPR15 April 2019
QuadrigaCX formally assigned into bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
Quadriga (company) — Wikipedia8 October 2019
Jennifer Robertson settles with Ernst & Young, forfeiting approximately C$12 million in assets including properties, a yacht, an aircraft, and luxury vehicles.
QuadrigaCX Founder's Widow Will Cough Up $9 Million to Repay Users — CoinDesk13 December 2019
Law firm Miller Thomson formally requests RCMP exhume and autopsy Gerald Cotten's remains to verify his death.
QuadrigaCX clients' lawyers seek exhumation — CBC News11 June 2020
Ontario Securities Commission publishes its investigative report concluding QuadrigaCX was a Ponzi scheme and that Cotten committed fraud totaling approximately C$169 million against 76,000 investors.
OSC publishes investigative report of QuadrigaCX — Newswire2022
QuadrigaCX co-founder Michael Patryn (Omar Dhanani) identified as '0xSifu,' treasury manager of DeFi protocol Wonderland, triggering that project's collapse.
QuadrigaCX cofounder Michael Patryn resurfaces as 0xSifu — Amy Castor30 March 2022
Netflix documentary 'Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King' released, garnering over 12 million viewing hours in its first week.
Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King — Netflix TudumDecember 2022
Approximately 104 BTC linked to QuadrigaCX wallets move for the first time in three years; Chainalysis reports funds sent to Wasabi mixer, apparently not by Ernst & Young.
Almost 104 BTC Moved Out of QuadrigaCX, Reports Chainalysis — Investing.com12 May 2023
Ernst & Young announces first interim dividend: creditors to receive approximately 13 cents per dollar, totaling C$39.5 million distributed from 17,600+ proven claims.
Quadriga CX Bankruptcy Claimants to Get 13% on the Dollar — CoinDeskDecision Log
- slot 445505867 · hash A3N3MgJuKNCvdwDmghyKBQpLfonmRU6CJnSsGJtyGU6L
- slot 424182422 · hash BeEVmj9gbXwh13stdRYyATUZRqML6eRshkKep16JZPSX
- slot 424182418 · hash 9fh7EijTWSrUEaJFKCA2DMqCjCnZHFPbw5sKDC191PNL
- slot 423640383 · hash AxhZFkZ9G8GtVhXC7uokD4eiJoy654P3VmkEpZXmAgcL
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (4 decisions). 23 of 24 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 6/1/2026, 5:48:45 PM
last updated: 6/1/2026, 5:48:45 PM
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