Brazilian authorities confirm Steynberg’s death, drop case
Brazilian authorities have confirmed Mirror Trading International CEO Johannes Steynberg’s death.
Subsequently, an identity fraud related criminal case against Steynberg have been dropped.
As reported by Jan Vermeulen from MyBroadband on August 15th;
A Brazilian federal judge has ordered criminal charges against Johann Steynberg dropped after a police investigation found reports about his death to be accurate.
The order, which MyBroadband has seen, was handed down by Judge Silvio Gemaque, who said that Steynberg’s death certificate was added to the case file.
In addition to identity fraud charges in Brazil, Steynberg (right) was in the middle of extradition proceedings initiated by South African authorities.
Steynberg fled South Africa following Mirror Trading International’s collapse in late 2020. He was then arrested in Brazil in January 2022.
US authorities secured a $3.4 billion default judgment against Steynberg in April 2023.
South African authorities have not publicly revealed details about their MTI criminal investigation.
This includes why MTI’s co-founders and suspected primary beneficiaries, Clynton Marks and Cheri Ward (right), remain at large in South Africa.
One might be tempted to sympathize with Steynberg, having died in a foreign country under house arrest of a bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism (a blood clot in the lungs).
It should be remembered thought that to get there;
- Steynberg headed up a $1.7 billion dollar Ponzi scheme;
- ditched his wife and child when MTI inevitably collapsed; and
- spent the year prior to his arrest flying around in helicopters, living the high life on stolen investor funds and banging a Brazilian mistress (who he got pregnant)
Take out the financial fraud aspect and that’s not a bad way to spend the last year of your life as a free man.
To date neither South African or US authorities have publicly confirmed Steynberg’s death.
South African liquidation proceedings are ongoing, but to date have only really financially benefited the liquidators themselves.
That said, MTI’s liquidators did initiate clawback litigation against US net-winners earlier this year.
Clawback proceedings in South Africa, including against Clynton Marks, Cheri Ward and their accomplices, were a mess last we heard anything.
Sounds like a real mess, typical South Africa.
He croaked in Brazil?
Steve, yep. Steynberg probably knew he was being stitched up by other members of the syndicate as the “fall guy” and had his own plans. He stole a lot of their crypto and in his final zoom call was identified as being in Brazil.
Interestingly, Cheri Ward split up with her co-conspirator Clynton Marks.
Can’t get the honour amongst thieves these days, eh?
To be fair, she did upgrade from a guy that can “barely use a computer” to a photographer.
The very quick burial is what gets me wondering.
Some cultures have to be done very quickly,maybe they subscribe to this