Convicted Russian Crypto Fraudster and Wife Murdered in UAE Kidnapping Plot
Russian entrepreneur Roman Novak, a convicted cryptocurrency fraudster, and his wife Anna were found murdered in the United Arab Emirates following a botched ransom scheme tied to digital assets. Novak, previously sentenced to six years in Russia for defrauding investors through crypto ventures, had relocated to Dubai and launched the Fintopio app, allegedly raising hundreds of millions from new backers.
The couple vanished in early October after what appeared to be a routine investor meeting near the UAE-Oman border. Authorities suspect they were lured to a rented villa, where kidnappers attempted to extort access to crypto wallets linked to Novak's past schemes. When the transaction failed, the situation turned fatal.