BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Brookfield police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man they suspect of theft and fraudulent use of credit cards on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Theft, fraud investigation
What we know:
Officials say the suspect was seen in surveillance footage at two separate locations.
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They describe him as a male, Black, approximately early 20s to early 30s, average height and medium build, with short dark curly hair and no visible facial hair. The man is observed wearing a dark blue/navy hooded winter jacket (hood up), light gray sweatpants, and red and white athletic shoes.
Call with tips
What you can do:
Anyone with information on this person is urged to call the Brookfield Police Department at 262-787-3702.
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THE HASHFLARE “CLOUD MINING” PONZI SCHEME (GLOBAL/ESTONIA)
Date: February 13, 2025 (Guilty Pleas) Perpetrators: Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin
Case Description: This $577 million cryptocurrency fraud remains one of the largest digital asset scams in history, with major legal developments concluding in 2025. Potapenko and Turogin operated “Hashflare,” which they marketed as a massive cryptocurrency mining operation. Hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide purchased “mining contracts,” believing they were renting hash power to mine Bitcoin. In reality, the duo was running a sophisticated Ponzi scheme.
They created fake customer dashboards that showed “real-time” mining profits, but the money being paid out was simply the capital of newer investors. They laundered the proceeds through shell companies to purchase luxury real estate and a fleet of high-end vehicles. After a massive international investigation involving the FBI and Estonian authorities, the pair agreed to forfeit over $400 million in assets. This case underscores the “Cyber-enabled Fraud” warning issued by the FATF in early 2026: as technology evolves, the scale of fraud moves from local millions to global billions in the blink of an eye.
Link to Original: ACFE – High Profile Fraud of 2025