Pursuant to a granted seizure warrant on January 31st, 2025, the DOJ has moved to seize 119.65 bitcoin from Juan Carlos Reynoso.

Reynoso is a serial promoter of MLM Ponzi schemes but, as of yet, details surrounding the case tied to the seizure are unclear.

Here’s what we do know:

After confirming Reynoso’s attorney would accept service, the DOJ served Reynoso’s attorney with the seizure warrant the same day it was granted. This took place at 1:24 pm.

The seizure warrant gave Reynoso 24 hours to turn over 119.65 bitcoin from a crypto wallet he controlled to a DOJ wallet.

JUAN CARLOS REYNOSO shall not obstruct, impede or interfere with the seizure of the SUBJECT ASSETS.

The SUBJECT ASSETS must be transferred, within 24 hours from the date of service of this seizure warrant …

Reynoso’s crypto wallet had been identified following “data obtained from electronic devices seized from Reynoso” in New Jersey in June 2024.

The 24 hour transfer period came and went. This prompted the DOJ to send a follow-up email to Reynoso’s attorney on February 1st.

As per a February 7th contempt motion filed by the DOJ, Reynoso’s attorney emailed the DOJ back on February 3rd;

he had not provided a copy of the Seizure Warrant to his client immediately after he had accepted service of it on Friday, January 31, because he was not aware that the matter was “time-sensitive” or “that the warrant imposed any obligation on me or my client.”

Reynoso’s attorney claims he opened the email containing the warrant on February 2nd. He didn’t confirm service but did state he intended to file a motion to quash the subpoena.

There doesn’t appear to be any further communication between Reynoso’s attorney and the DOJ.

Meanwhile an investigation by the DOJ revealed, beginning January 31st, Reynoso began liquidating the wallet containing the 119.65 bitcoin.

As of February 5, 2025, all the Subject Assets had been offloaded.

The street value of 119.65 bitcoin as of February 5th was approximately $11.7 million USD. I can’t say for certain but this could represent Reynoso’s haul from various MLM Ponzis he’s promoted over the years.

This brings us to the DOJ’s February 7th contempt motion, wherein the DOJ requested a Puerto Rico District Court hold Reynoso in contempt.

Reynoso’s attorney filed a motion seeking to quash the the arrest warrant on February 18th.

In the motion Reynoso’s attorney argued forcing Reynoso to forfeit the bitcoin violated Reynoso’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Reynoso’s attorney also argued service of the subpoena was improper.

On March 3rd the court ruled against Reynoso and held him to be in contempt.

Less than two hours after the phone conversation between defense counsel and [the] AUSA … Reynoso moved the subject assets to another Bitcoin wallet.

With intuition more accurate than the Oracle at Delphi, Reynoso again transferred the subject assets to a third Bitcoin wallet on February 1, 2025 just after midnight.

He then sent the subject assets to a fourth and fifth Bitcoin wallet.

These frenzied transfers occurred within the 24-hour timeframe to comply with the seizure warrant.

At best, these transfers are the result of a serendipitous happenstance: a coincidence that inadvertently rendered the seizure warrant ineffectual.

The temporal proximity between notice of the warrant and movement of the subject assets strongly suggests, however, that Reynoso attempted to obstruct justice by evading a duly issued order of the Court.

The court found Reynoso’s attorney’s arguments about service and Fifth Amendment rights were “unavailing”.

Reynoso is frustrating the seizure of 119.65 BTC by refusing to transfer the subject assets, an act that requires minimal effort and time.

Consequently, his argument against the transfer mandate is unpersuasive. Transfer of the 119.65 BTC will reveal no additional information to law enforcement officers.

For the reasons set forth above, the United States’ request to hold Juan Carlos Reynoso in civil contempt is GRANTED.

Reynoso is HELD IN CIVIL CONTEPMT of the seizure warrant. Reynoso’s motion to quash is DENIED.

In an attempt to enforce compliance with the seizure warrant, the court has imposed a $10,000 daily fine on Reynoso for non-compliance.

Reynoso SHALL be fined $10,000.00 for every day that he violates the seizure warrant from the date that this Opinion and Order is published. Failure to comply may result in additional fines and/or incarceration.

Between March 4th and March 13th, Reynoso is already up for $90,000 in fines and counting.

As to what prompted the seizure, I wasn’t able verify. The court’s order and various filings provide some other case numbers but these are general numbers and not tied to any case.

That said I did go through each publicly listed case matching the numbers. I didn’t recognize any of the names so that was effectively a dead-end.

Based on what has been disclosed, it appears Reynoso is tied to a criminal case that is most likely sealed. This is reflected in the related cases section of the contempt case docket;

Case in other court: In Re: Seizure Warrant *SEALED*

It would follow that the case the seizure warrant was issued for (I believe the sealed seizure warrant is tied to the June 2024 FBI seizure, which is why I couldn’t find it), would also be sealed.

Possible candidates for criminal activity tied to Reynoso are iComTech, OmegaPro, TeaMiner and/or cartel activity in Mexico.

iComTech was an MLM crypto Ponzi whose owner was sentenced to ten years in prison in October 2024.

Reynoso was CEO of iComTech but wasn’t publicly charged.

OmegaPro was an MLM crypto Ponzi which collapsed in November 2022. One OmegaPro co-founder was arrested in Turkey last year.

Reynoso was an OmegaPro’s General Manager for Latin America.

TeaMiner was an MLM crypto Ponzi launched in late 2023. The collapsed scam was fronted by Reynoso and his son Juan Reynoso Jr.

In March 2023 Mexican authorities arrested Reynoso in connection with suspected cartel activity tied to Black Wall Street Capital.

A court ordered Reynoso’s release a few months later in June 2023.

Reynoso is a Peruvian national whose status remains unclear at time of publication. Pending any further updates we’ll keep you posted.