Monero’s Ricardo ‘Fluffypony’ Spagni to Surrender to US Marshals on July 5

The former privacy coin maintainer faces extradition to South Africa where he faces fraud charges.

AccessTimeIconJun 30, 2022 at 5:32 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 6:37 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Ex-Monero developer Ricardo “Fluffypony” Spagni will surrender on July 5 to the U.S. Marshals Service for extradition to South Africa, where he faces fraud charges, according to court documents filed Thursday.

He will depart for South Africa shortly thereafter, the documents said. South African officials will be on hand to “effectuate his arrest.”

South African officials have accused Spagni of committing $100,000 in invoice fraud against his former employer, Cape Cookies. Facing trial in early 2021, he instead fled South Africa, going on the lam in the U.S. until his capture that August in Nashville, Tenn. He’s been fighting extradition ever since.

Spagni’s lawyer didn't pick up the phone, and when reached by CoinDesk, Spagni declined to comment.

Monero (XMR) is trading at $110, down 6% in the past 24 hours amid a broader crypto sell-off.

UPDATE (June 30, 17:46 UTC): Adds no comment from Spagni.



Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Danny Nelson

Danny is CoinDesk's Managing Editor for Data & Tokens. He owns BTC, ETH and SOL.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.