A federal court has ordered New York resident William Koo Ichioka to pay over $36 million for his involvement in a forex and digital asset fraud scheme, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced on Friday. The regulator explained:

The order requires Ichioka to pay $31 million in restitution to defrauded victims and a $5 million civil monetary penalty in connection with his fraudulent foreign currency (forex) and digital asset fraud scheme.

The ruling follows Ichioka’s admission to defrauding investors by fabricating financial documents and making false promises about investment returns in digital assets.

In addition to the financial penalties, Ichioka was sentenced to 48 months in prison for related criminal charges, including commodities fraud and wire fraud.

Ichioka’s scheme, which began in 2018, involved misleading investors by guaranteeing a 10% return every 30 business days. While some of the funds were invested in forex and digital asset commodities, Ichioka misappropriated the majority of participant money.

The CFTC noted:

Although Ichioka invested some funds in forex and digital asset commodities, he commingled participant money with his own funds and used participant funds for his own personal expenses, including, among other things, rent for his personal residence, jewelry, including watches, and luxury vehicles.

To sustain the fraud, he overstated the value of his investments through false account statements and other financial documents.

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