「神のお告げ」　牧師夫婦、暗号資産投資で信者から１．９億円詐欺

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】米コロラド州の牧師夫婦が先週、無価値の暗号資産（仮想通貨）への投資を信徒に持ち掛け、１３０万ドル（約１億９０００万円）をだまし取ったとして、民事訴訟を起こされた。金は自宅の改築費用などに充てたとされる。牧師は神のお告げに従っただけだと主張している。（写真は資料写真）
　オンラインで教会を運営しているイーライ・レガラド被告と妻のケイトリン被告は、「ＩＮＤＸコイン」に投資すれば、もうかるという神のお告げがあったと信徒に吹き込んで投資を持ち掛けた。
　コロラド州司法長官事務所の訴状によると、３００人が３２０万ドル（約４億７０００万円）をつぎ込んでいた。
　レガラド被告は、ＩＮＤＸコインの投資家向けフォーラムに投稿した動画で、「１３０万ドルを着服したと訴えられているが、その内容に間違いないと、はっきり言っておきたい」と語っている。
　さらに、「１３０万ドルのうち５０万ドル（約７４００万円）は税金として納め、数十万ドルは神に言われた通り、自宅の改装に充てた」としている。
　訴状によると、金はレンジローバー、宝石、ハンドバッグ、スノーモービル旅行などの費用にも充てていた。
　レガラド被告は、神とのホットラインに問題があったかもしれないと認め、「私が神の言葉を聞き間違えたのか、あるいは、神はまだこのプロジェクトの途中なのか」と語った。
　「私たちは、金融部門で奇跡を起こしてくださるよう神に祈っている。神はＩＮＤＸコインに奇跡を起こそうとしておられる」と主張している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/01/25-16:23）

A US pastor who sold a worthless cryptocurrency to his flock and pocketed $1.3 million, using some of it to remodel his house, has insisted he was only doing what God told him.
Eli Regalado and his wife, Kaitlyn, face a civil lawsuit alleging they flogged the so-called INDXcoin to fellow Christians in Colorado, with divine guarantees investors would become rich.
According to the complaint filed by the Colorado Attorney General?s Office, investigators found 300 people sank $3.2 million into something Regalado and his wife insisted God was backing
That was despite the fact that the couple, who run an online church, had no experience in cryptocurrency, said a press release from the Colorado Division of Securities, the state body that regulates the securities market.
Faced with the fraud allegations, Regalado doubled down on his message of a God-given mission, and even confessed to using the cash for some home improvements -- which he said was also an instruction from above.
So the charges are that Kaitlyn and I have pocketed $1.3 million, and I just want to come out and say that those charges are true, he said in a video posted to a forum for INDXcoin investors.
Out of that 1.3, half a million dollars went to the IRS and a few $100,000 went to a home remodel that the Lord told us to do.
The couple allegedly also spent funds on a gamut of luxury items, including a Range Rover, jewelry, swanky handbags and snowmobile trips, the complaint states.
Facing the legal action, which was filed in Denver last week, Regalado conceded it was possible there had been some communication issues on his hotline to God, though he was still holding out hope that the Big Man would come through in the end.
We took God at his word and sold a cryptocurrency with no clear exit, he said.
Either I misheard God... or God is still not done with this project, he said.
What we're praying for... is that God is going to work a miracle in the financial sector. He is going to bring a miracle into INDXcoin.
Colorado Securities Commissioner Tung Chan said potential investors in get-rich quick schemes would be wise not to take them at face value.
We allege that Mr. Regalado took advantage of the trust and faith of his own Christian community and that he peddled outlandish promises of wealth to them when he sold them essentially worthless cryptocurrencies, Chan said.
New coins and new exchanges are easy to create with open source code. We want to remind consumers to be very skeptical.
NBC News reported that the couple are due to appear in a Denver court next week.