The FBI has reportedly sent out a round of e-mails asking QuadrigaCX victims to contact them.
According to Coindesk, a victim specialist named Valerie Gauthier has been reaching out.
Lengthy Undertaking
Although the FBI has previously put out public calls to victims of the exchange, which collapsed and took over $100 million in assets with it, this is the first time that the FBI has directly contacted people who had previously used the exchange. The e-mail indicated that the investigation has been progressing:
A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and, for several reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at its time.
QuadrigaCX was once one of the largest exchanges in Canada, but investigations have shown that pretty early in its operation, CEO Gerald Cotten was playing fast and loose with investor funds.
The exchange also had its assets frozen by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which wanted proof that some $21 million in holdings actually belonged to the exchange.
At the time of his death, Gerald Cotten’s widow and his company claimed to lose access to another $150 million in assets, saying that only he knew how to get into the funds. Although experts have not been able to break into the wallets that have been recovered, they have determined that there are not $150 million in crypto assets laying around.
Other agencies are investigating the Canadian exchange, including, obviously, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Although two of the agencies haven’t been disclosed, one is rumored to be an Australian police agency.
It’s so far unclear what stake the FBI has in the investigation, when so many of the company’s clients were not American citizens. Nevertheless, there are reports that the company was part and parcel to some American schemes, and used American exchanges in its efforts.
