John McAfee charged with securities fraud for ‘pump and dump’ cryptocurrency scheme
Photo credit should read ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP via Getty Images John McAfee has been charged with securities fraud over a pump and dump" cryptocurrency scheme. Federal prosecutors unsealed a case against McAfee and his executive advisor and bodyguard Jimmy Gale Watson Jr., claiming the pair earned nearly $2 million by urging Twitter followers to invest in cryptocurrencies like Reddcoin and Dogecoin, then selling off their own holdings as the price rose.
McAfee and Watson exploited a widely used social media platform and enthusiasm among investors in the emerging cryptocurrency market to make millions through lies and deception," said US Attorney Audrey Strauss in a statement. The defendants allegedly used McAfee's Twitter account to publish messages to hundreds of thousands of his Twitter...