Pablo Renato Rodriguez has pled guilty to an AirBit Club criminal charge.

Rodriguez and partner in crime Gutemberg Dos Santos, were indicted in 2020 on criminal charges relating to AirBit Club.

AirBit Club was a ~$100 million “bitcoin mining” MLM Ponzi Rodriguez and dos Santos launched in 2016.

Rodriguez originally pled not guilty to the three counts he was originally indicted on;

  1. conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
  2. conspiracy to commit bank fraud; and
  3. conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Following a not so pleasant time in custody, at a Status Conference held on February 7th Rodriguez requested a change of plea hearing.

On March 8th, Rodriguez pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

As part of his plea agreement, Rodriguez has agreed to forfeit interest in

  • funds held in thirty-eight bank accounts;
  • $999,936 tied to a Gulfstream jet;
  • over $76 million in cryptocurrency held in various accounts;
  • various electronics, a “box of checks”, various basketball and Pokemon cards and a watch, seized from Jorge Alejandro Rodriguez in May 2021;
  • $896,483, various electronics, eighteen luxury watches, jewelry and sports coats, seized from Rodriguez in August 2020
  • $29,402 and various electronics, seized from Cecilia Millan in August 2020;
  • various electronics seized from Gutemberg dos Santos, Scott Hughes and Margarita Cabrera in August 2020;
  • a 4 bedroom residential property in Irvine, California (est. value $4.8 million);
  • a 4 bedroom residential property in Greensboro, North Carolina (est. value $739,000);
  • a 4 bedroom residential property in Las Vegas, Nevada (est. value ~$400,000);
  • a residential property in Raleigh, North Carolina (est. value ~$250,000);
  • a 2015 Mercedes-Benz G3 AMG wagon; and
  • a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan

What has been recovered will go towards Rodriguez’s consented to $65 million forfeiture, consisting of funds traceable to AirBit Club.

Looking forward, Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25th.

 

Update 10th March 2023 – The remaining five AirBit Club defendants have also pled guilty.