Faruk Fatih Özer, the founder and CEO of Thodex, a defunct crypto exchange in Turkey, has been imprisoned after failing to provide the necessary tax documents to the country’s Tax Inspection Board.
The Turkish crypto boss was deported from Albania last year after fleeing his country and was arrested in Istanbul on April 20.
According to a report by Hürriyet Daily News, Özer was sentenced to seven months and 15 days in prison at the Anatolian 17th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Ozer claimed he was innocent, saying “that a trustee had been appointed, preventing him from presenting the requested books.”
Initially, the judge sentenced him to 18 months in prison. However, after considering Özer’s social concerns and behavior at the trial, the prosecutor lowered the imprisonment.
Hürriyet Daily News claims that a notification to provide all the necessary documents was sent to Özer on Oct. 30, 2021, which the 29-year-old crypto boss failed to deliver.
As earlier reported, Özer is charged with defrauding investors, stealing and laundering millions of dollars through Thodex.
However, per Hürriyet Daily News, the crypto boss claims he was framed and has already denied all the allegations.