La Derecha Diario Papu Gómez, Lucas Ocampos, and other players are accused of a crypto scam in Spain
The footballers are under investigation for promoting a failed NFT project that allegedly defrauded 3 million euros
A judicial investigation in Barcelona implicates several renowned footballers, who were mentioned in a complaint regarding an alleged scam related to cryptocurrencies and digital tokens. According to El Periódico, the case revolves around the loss of three million euros and features Papu Gómez, Lucas Ocampos, Iván Rakitić, Nico Pareja, Alberto Moreno, and Javier Saviola as the main figures.
Although none of them appears as the legal head of the venture, their involvement would be due to their participation in the public promotion of the project. The company targeted by the complaint is Shirtum Europa S.L.U., based in Spain, which allegedly used the players' images to attract investments that never delivered what was promised.
The main promoters include David Rozencwaig, who is very close to Papu Gómez, and a group of Catalan businessmen consisting of Manel Ángel Torras, Marc Alberto Torras (his son), and Manuel Morillas. According to the Spanish outlet, the group planned to launch an application to market NFTs with exclusive content from the mentioned footballers.
The project, however, was never completed. The complainants state that they invested significant amounts that were received by the company, but then it was dismantled without offering progress, refunds, or explanations. The legal complaint points to crimes of fraud and misappropriation.
Shirtum also allegedly launched its own cryptocurrency, called $SHI, intended to be the payment method for acquiring the NFTs. These digital assets consisted of images and videos of the players, with an estimated value of 450 euros (494 dollars) each, according to El Periódico.
The most suspicious aspect of the case is that this cryptocurrency never had any concrete utility or market value, which reinforces the suspicion of a fraudulent scheme. With the disappearance of the company, investors were left without legal support and with no chance of recovering their money.
The personal ties between some footballers and the project's promoters further complicate the situation. In particular, the friendship between Papu Gómez and Rozencwaig would have placed him in a key position within the reported structure.
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