SafeMoon’s Fall from Grace: Ex-CEO Found Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Crypto Scam

Another day, another crypto fraud case—but this one stings. SafeMoon’s former CEO just got convicted for orchestrating a scheme that drained wallets while preaching ’financial freedom.’

How’d they do it? The usual suspects: false promises, manipulated tokenomics, and a classic rug-pull dressed as a ’community project.’ Meanwhile, retail investors got left holding the bag—shocking, right?

Here’s the kicker: the trial revealed internal chats bragging about Lamborghini purchases while the token’s value cratered. But hey, at least someone got their moon.

Yet another reminder: in crypto, if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a PowerPoint presentation.

Jury finds Karony guilty of conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud

In the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the jury determined that Karony was involved in a conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as money laundering and wire fraud. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys presented their arguments during the trial that began with jury selection on May 5. 

The criminal trials against the executive of a cryptocurrency company were widely viewed as a bellwether for how Joseph Nocella, the acting US Attorney for the district, would approach cases of digital assets and fraud. Nocella, a Donald Trump nominee, began serving duty this month.

The case began in 2023 with the arrests of Karony, former Chief Technology Officer Thomas Smith, and SafeMoon founder Kyle Nagy.

Prosecutors alleged Karony and his “co-conspirators” misled investors about the structure and safety of SafeMoon, a token issued in 2021 that applied a 10% transaction tax on transfers.

Half of that fee was purportedly redistributed to token holders, while the remainder was said to be locked in a liquidity pool to support trading.

The Justice Department said Karony and others retained access to the liquidity pool and diverted substantial funds for personal use.

During the trial, Smith testified against Karony, while Nagy reportedly fled to Russia and remained at large as of May 21.

It was, however, unclear when Karony will be back in court for a sentencing hearing. He could spend over 40 years in prison for his role in defrauding and money laundering activities. On the other hand, Smith, who is said to have agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors, stands to get a lighter sentence.

Karony’s trial came after a sentencing hearing for former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky in the Southern District of New York; a judge sentenced him to a 12-year prison term following a guilty plea. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison after going to trial, having previously maintained his innocence.

Karony takes to social media to proclaim innocence as trial unfolds

Karony turned to social media to defend himself, claiming he was innocent as his trial for fraud and money laundering charges started in New York. This came after he shared an X post on May 6, likely after the court proceedings had concluded for the day. He declared that he was innocent and did not commit fraud in response to news coverage about his trial. 

The trial, which is expected to last until May 26, has received less media coverage than other crypto cases, like the sentencing of former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao.

Following Karony’s pleading not guilty to charges of securities fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering, he had been out on a $3 million bond since February 2024. 

As the public eagerly waits for Karony’s sentencing hearing in court, fear has struck them as this is yet another crypto executive’s involvement in a fraud case. Investors may, therefore, decide to hold back, their investment dragging crypto space development behind.

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