Crime
Swedish Man Arrested on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand on Interpol Red Warrant Issued By US Authorities
KOH CHANG – Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau police have arrested a Swedish man wanted for multi-million dollar fraud is arrested on Koh Chang Island in Thailand where he has lived for eight years.
Roger Nils-Jonas Karlsson, 45, was arrested on and Interpol red notice after US authorities in 2013 accused him of colluding with 12 others to defraud thousands of victims via a cryptocurrency website.
Acting on request of the US and Interpol, police arrested Mr. Karlsson at a house on Koh Chang where he has lived with his Thai wife for the past 8 years.
He denied any wrongdoing claiming the website was operated for legal cryptocurrency investment but it was closed because of business losses.
According to the US Department of Justice Karlsson and associated firm Eastern Metal Securities (EMS) are charged with committing securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Specifically, Karlsson allegedly instructed investors to pay for his products using virtual currencies, such as the cryptocurrency bitcoin (BTC),earning him about $1.6 Million US (Bt50 million) before fleeing to Thailand.
The United States is requesting extradition to try the purported scammer in the Northern District of California.