Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are one of the best known names in the Bitcoin market, or at least, in the BTC ETF one. The Winklevoss brothers are now suing Charlie Shrem, the infamous Bitcoin tycoon who was convicted for “for aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business related to the Silk Road marketplace”, for allegedly stealing $25 million in Bitcoin.
The interesting part is that Mr. Shrem went to prison penniless, as he says, and even spent some time working as a dishwasher. However, just coming out of prison, he was able to buy two expensive Maserati cars, a mansion in Florida and even two speed boats.
The Winklevoss brothers now believe that the expenses of Shrem are “sponsored” by the Bitcoin he stole from them in 2012. The allegedly stolen amount of BTC is worth around $32 million at the current price level of the digital currency.
The lawsuit that was sealed in 2012 stipulates the following, as reported by the New York Times:
“Either Shrem has been incredibly lucky and successful since leaving prison, or — more likely — he ‘acquired’ his six properties, two Maseratis, two powerboats and other holdings with the appreciated value of the 5,000 Bitcoin he stole from.”
Mr. Shrem was a partner of the Winklevoss brothers back in 2012, when he helped them invest in Bitcoin, and they gave him thousands of dollars for doing that. Shrem was also getting some of the return from the investments in Bitcoin.
The Winklevoss twins are determined to get to the bottom of Shrem’s alleged Bitcoin crimes. Shrem’s lawyer currently denies that his client has done any wrong to the Winklevoss brothers. Shrem, however, owes more than $900,000 to the US government for restitutions from his criminal case.
Charlie Shrem is reportedly working on several cryptocurrency projects, including Crypto.IQ, which is a cryptocurrency-related advisory business.