Turkish prison finds body of cryptocurrency exchange founder sentenced to 11,000 years

The founder of cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Ozer, convicted of fraud in Turkey, found dead in prison cell.

As BAKU.WS reports, this was announced by the Turkish publication NTV.

Ozer's body was found in a prison cell in Tekirdag in western Turkey. According to the publication, the city's prosecutor general's office has launched an investigation into the incident. It is reported that investigators are considering a suicide theory.

Ozer was extradited to Turkey from Albania and in September 2023 was sentenced to 11,196 years in prison on charges of creating a criminal organization, money laundering, and large-scale fraud. It is known that the crypto exchange founder was serving his sentence in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison. His body was sent for forensic examination.

In April 2021, Turkish crypto exchange Thodex announced a temporary closure due to "abnormal movements of funds in accounts." Turkish media reported that Faruk Fatih Ozer fled to Albania with $2 billion of investor funds. Images were published online showing Ozer leaving Istanbul airport.

A lawsuit was filed against the head of Thodex, which stated that the crypto exchange had an audience of 400 thousand people, 390 thousand of whom were active clients. Ozer himself called the accusations unfounded on social media. He claimed that the suspension of operations occurred due to a cyber attack and that nothing happened to the clients' money. Ozer also promised that he would return to Turkey in a few days to resolve all the issues that had arisen.