Death in Crypto: Three notable crypto CEOs died abruptly within a short period in 2022 (2024)

Crypto has been in the headlines due to the fall of FTX, which has increased the amount of attention given to crypto-cyber news. Recently, some of the biggest names in the cryptocurrency business mysteriously passed away.

Conspiracy theories and requests for explanations have erupted on social media in response to news of the incredible and unexpected death.

The most recent fatality in a series of tragedies that have remained unsolved is the death of russian businessman Vyacheslav Taran, who perished in a mysterious helicopter crash in Monaco. Taran is the third bitcoin entrepreneur to have passed away suddenly in recent months. His helicopter crashed near Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, a tourist resort, after taking off from Lausanne, Switzerland, killing 53-year-old Taran and the 35-year-old French pilot who flew with him.

Death in Crypto: Three notable crypto CEOs died abruptly within a short period in 2022 (1)

Taran is a co-founder of the successful and turbulent trading and investing platforms Libertex and Forex Club. In 2018, accusations of investor fraud against Forex Club first arose. Regardless of the fact that Taran’s success in his profession was marred by a financial scandal, users of social media argued that his demise was not a mere coincidence.

In fact, it seems that this crash took place in excellent weather and following the reported last-minute cancellation of the flight by another passenger, raising questions about possible foul play. A third party’s involvement cannot be ruled out due to these factors, according to the deputy prosecutor from Nice who visited the scene.

Russian billionaire, 53, is killed in helicopter crash near Monaco in latest crypto mystery death – 'after another passenger cancelled at the last minute'
Vyacheslav Taran, 53, died after the helicopter he was travelling in crashed near the resort town of pic.twitter.com/LwGX089ttM

— MassiVeMaC (@SchengenStory) November 29, 2022

According to The Daily Mail, Taran is a billionaire crypto entrepreneur with possible connections to the “Russian Foreign Intelligence Service,” as claimed by the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN without any supporting documentation.

Crypto billionaire passed away while asleep

Tiantian Kullander, a 30 year old co-founder of Singapore’s trading platform for virtual currencies known as Amber Group, which just had its value estimated at $3 billion. According to the firm, Kullander passed away on November 23 in his sleep.

Death in Crypto: Three notable crypto CEOs died abruptly within a short period in 2022 (2)

In 2017, he co-founded Amber with a group of financial industry insiders, notably ex-employees of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and was a key player in the company’s explosive growth, which involved raising an extra $100 million in capital.

Kullander developed Amber into a multibillion-dollar financial unicorn. Not only that, he also held a position on the Fanatic board of directors, an e-sports organization. The only thing that could be established was that Kullander passed away while asleep; no more details were provided.

Nikolai Mushegian’s sudden death and conspiracy theories

Death in Crypto: Three notable crypto CEOs died abruptly within a short period in 2022 (3)

Just hours after tweeting that he believed Israeli and American security agencies were planning to murder him, Nikolai Mushegian, the co-founder of MakerDAO, a crypto lending network, was apparently discovered dead in a lake in Puerto Rico. Given that the young millionaire had a history of mental health problems, his family did not suspect foul play, Brock Pierce, his good friend, told the New York Post.

Nevertheless, a few of his friends and coworkers have accepted the unproven claims that his death was strange.Conspiracy theories have been spread online and among the tiny but close-knit Puerto Rican crypto community as a result of the news of Mushegian’s passing, his final tweet, and other depressing posts about battling “bad people.”

CIA and Mossad and pedo elite are running some kind of sex trafficking entrapment blackmail ring out of Puerto Rico and caribbean islands. They are going to frame me with a laptop planted by my ex gf who was a spy. They will torture me to death.

— ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ (@delete_sh*tcoin) October 28, 2022

Mushegian tweeted before he was found dead in the lake. As much as some have moved on with all the hustle and bustle of the Yuletide season, many individuals are still perplexed and wondering what all of this means for the crypto business, which is notoriously unpredictable.

Death in Crypto: Three notable crypto CEOs died abruptly within a short period in 2022 (2024)

FAQs

Who are the crypto owners mysterious deaths? ›

Tiantian Kullander (November 2022): Co-founder of Amber Group, died unexpectedly in his sleep​​. Park Mo (December 2022): Found dead outside his home, believed to have committed suicide amid allegations of financial misconduct​​. Bob Lee (April 2023): Founder of CashApp, was killed under mysterious circ*mstances​​.

What happened to the cryptocurrency founders? ›

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for crypto fraud, to pay $11 billion in forfeiture. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the securities fraud conspiracy that doomed his cryptocurrency exchange and a related hedge fund, Alameda Research.

How many cryptocurrencies have failed in 2022? ›

Cryptocurrency Failures by Year of Launch
Year of LaunchNumber of Dead Coins
20191,154
20201,806
20215,724
20223,520
6 more rows
Jan 15, 2024

Who is the crypto billionaire dead in Bali? ›

The idyllic calm of Bali was shattered in May 2023, as the crypto-billionaire couple Li Chiming and Cheng Jianan met with a grisly fate, their murders painting a cautionary tale about the dangers of flaunting cryptocurrency wealth.

Who is the crypto billionaire who went broke? ›

NEW YORK − Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for stealing $8 billion from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded, the last step in the former billionaire wunderkind's dramatic downfall.

What crypto founder was caught? ›

NEW YORK (AP) — Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud on hundreds of thousands of customers that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.

Who is the disgraced CEO of crypto? ›

Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for financial fraud, must forfeit $11 billion for victims - ABC News.

Who became millionaires with crypto? ›

Crypto Millionaires: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth in the Digital Realm
  • Erik Finman: School Rebel to Bitcoin Maestro. ...
  • Kane Ellis: Mining Success and Maserati Dreams. ...
  • Glauber Contessoto: The 'SlumDoge Millionaire' ...
  • Tommy and James: Brothers Turned Shiba Inu Millionaires.
Feb 4, 2024

Where did FTX money go? ›

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and senior staff spent customer funds on technology investments, luxury real estate and political contributions, among other things. The missing funds are at the heart of Bankman-Fried's criminal trial, which kicked off in Manhattan federal court this week.

What happens if a cryptocurrency fails? ›

Cryptocurrency Is Not FDIC Insured

(FDIC). If a bank fails, the FDIC insures deposits. Investors should know that if their crypto exchange goes out of business, no government agency will make them whole. That's different from a bank, where the government insures funds up to account and institution limits.

Is cryptocurrency a failure? ›

But in Menon's opinion, cryptocurrencies have failed the test of digital money because "they have performed poorly as a medium of exchange or store of value, their prices are subject to sharp speculative swings, and many investors in cryptocurrencies have suffered significant losses."

What is the largest crypto collapse? ›

The leading cryptocurrency by market value fell over 8% to under $62,000, data from charting platform TradingView show. That's the biggest single-day percentage (UTC) decline since Nov. 9, 2022. That day, prices tanked over 14% as Sam Bankman Fried's FTX exchange, formerly the third largest, went bankrupt.

Which crypto billionaire is in jail? ›

Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in collapse of FTX crypto exchange. Former cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years behind bars for his role in perpetrating one of the largest financial crimes in U.S. history.

Are there crypto millionaires? ›

Over the course of its 15-year history, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has made plenty of millionaires. In fact, data from the blockchain analytics platform Glassnode shows roughly 115,000 wallet addresses with a balance of more than $1 million today.

Was the crypto doctor found dead? ›

The death of a highly regarded Missouri emergency room doctor whose body was found 11 months ago in a northwest Arkansas lake has been ruled a suicide, Arkansas authorities said Thursday, in a case that fueled social media speculation about whether his disappearance had been tied to his cryptocurrency dealings.

What is the crypto guy that died documentary? ›

When the young founder of a collapsing cryptocurrency exchange dies unexpectedly, irate investors suspect there's more to his death than meets the eye. Watch all you want.

How many crypto billionaires are there? ›

The total value of all outstanding cryptocurrencies increased by 170%, adding some $1.6 trillion in market value over the past 12 months, according to CoinGecko. That's helped make at least 17 people crypto billionaires, according to Forbes' 2024 World's Billionaires list, up from nine crypto billionaires last year.

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