OSC Finds Extensive Evidence of Fraud/Theft by Gerald Cotten and QuadrigaCX

Over a year has passed since the demise of popular Canadian exchange, QuadrigaCX.  Despite this length of time, new findings are still being released surrounding the peculiar chain of events that saw $215 million go missing – a total representing the holdings of over 75,000 clients.

The Good

While the actions of Gerald Cotten and QuadrigaCX are, without doubt, a blight on the cryptocurrency industry, it is important to remember the old adage ‘do not paint with a broad brush’.

The OSC has, thankfully, recognized this, and taken the time to ensure readers that they are not condemning the sector as a whole, in their report.

“The misconduct we uncovered in relation to Quadriga is limited to Quadriga and should not be understood as applying to the crypto asset platform industry as a whole. Properly conducted, crypto asset trading is a legitimate and important component of our capital markets. We remain committed to working with this industry to foster innovation. Financial innovation has always been critical to the health of our economy and the competitiveness of our capital markets.”

The Bad

Now we move on to the bad.  After a thorough investigation, the OSC has determined that QuadrigaCX operated, essentially, as a Ponzi scheme underneath a ‘layer of modern tech’.  This Ponzi scheme is believed to be orchestrated by the late founder of QuadrigaCX, Gerald Cotten.

Furthermore, due to the custody model utilized by the exchange, the OSC believes QuadrigaCX to have been in consistent violation of securities laws.

“…whereby Quadriga retained custody, control and possession of its clients’ crypto assets and only delivered assets to clients following a withdrawal request—meant that clients’ entitlements to the crypto assets held by Quadriga constituted securities or derivatives.”

To this day, many of those affected by the debacle caused by Cotten have remained hopeful that the lost keys to his crypto wallets would be found.  This was due to a belief that these wallets contained much of the missing funds.  Unfortunately, the OSC has indicated that this is a fallacy.  Rather, the vast majority of missing funds were due to Cotten’s illegal trading activity.

 “It has been widely speculated that the bulk of investor losses resulted from crypto assets becoming lost or inaccessible as a result of Cotten's death. In our assessment, this was not the case. The evidence demonstrates that most of the $169 million asset shortfall resulted from Cotten's fraudulent conduct, which took several forms.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, the OSC concedes that, due to the circumstances (QuadrigaCX bankruptcy, and Cotten’s death), there exists very little room for recourse.

Financial Breakdown

In their report, the OSC notes that roughly $215 million is owed to QuadrigaCX customers.  They provide the following breakdown, shedding light on where the money has gone.

• $115 million
  • Lost by Gerald Cotten through illegal trades on QuadrigaCX
• $46 million
  • Recovered funds, now in the possession of a trustee
• $28 million
  • Lost by Gerald Cotten through illegal trades on external exchanges
• $23 million
  • Miscellaneous losses yet to be accounted for
• $2 million
  • Funds stolen by Gerald Cotten to fund his lifestyle
• $1 million
  • Operational losses

Whether through misappropriation, or illegal trades, the late Gerald Cotten is believed to be directly responsible for roughly $145 million lost in client funds.

Words of Warning

Throughout their report, the OSC doesn’t mince words when addressing companies still operating in the blockchain industry – Contact the OSC to see if registration is required under current laws.

They explicitly note, on multiple occasions, that securities laws apply in many instances, even when the traded assets are not securities.  The deciding factor comes down to how these assets are handled by exchanges.

“A platform would generally not be subject to securities legislation if the underlying crypto asset being traded is not a security or derivative, and there is immediate delivery of a crypto asset to the client after a transaction…In contrast, if a platform retains possession and control of the crypto assets being traded on the platform, securities law may apply.”

While this distinction may be small, it is an important one.  The OSC is imploring Canadian exchanges to reach out and determine where they fall within regulatory guidelines.

 “Platform operators should be aware that, depending on their business model, they may have to register with the OSC and they should take appropriate steps to comply with Ontario securities laws…Platforms should review their operations to ensure that they have procedures in place to manage risks to clients and that they are accurately disclosing key information about their operations to clients.”

OSC

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), is a regulatory body, tasked with ensuring fair and transparent markets.  This is done through the creation, and enforcement, of laws surrounding securities in the province of Ontario.

CEO, Grant Vingoe, currently oversees company operations.