Spanish police: After the collapse of Arbistar, over 1.1 billion dollars in Bitcoin was transferred from wallets

According to Bitcoin.com News, the Spanish National Guard discovered that digital wallets associated with the now-defunct cryptocurrency platform Arbistar continued to make large Bitcoin transfers after the platform's collapse. The investigation revealed that approximately 881 Bitcoins were transferred to external wallets when the platform collapsed in September 2020; from January to March 2021, wallets linked to the main defendants saw a total inflow and outflow of over 20,000 Bitcoins, valued at over $1.1 billion based on Bitcoin prices as of March 31, 2021.

Spanish authorities classified the platform as a Ponzi scheme affecting up to 32,000 investors, with prosecutors stating in 2020 that approximately $1 billion of investor funds were unaccounted for. Founder Santiago Fuentes Jover and partner Diego Fernández Nojarova were sentenced to 16 and 11 years in prison, respectively.