WASHINGTON — Two Estonian nationals awaiting sentencing for their roles in a massive $577 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme have received alarming emails from U.S. immigration authorities ordering them to leave the country—despite a federal court order mandating they remain in the United States, their attorneys said.
Defendants Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin, who each pleaded guilty in February to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, were extradited from Estonia last year. The men are free on bond under conditions that require them to stay in King County, Washington, until their sentencing hearing set for August 14.
But in a letter filed Friday with U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik, defense attorneys said their clients had received disturbing messages from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 6, instructing them to “immediately” leave the country or face law enforcement action. Turogin received a second, nearly identical email on Friday, warning, “Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you.”
