Brazilian authorities have announced the initiation of an investigation into Ronaldinho, one of the greatest footballers of all time, over allegations that he may have been involved in a cryptocurrency scam. Ronaldinho was called to give a statement regarding the matter but did not appear in court and did not provide an explanation for his absence.
Expected to Appear in Court Next Week
According to recent reports, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, and the former star of the Brazilian national football team, Ronaldinho, are suspected of being involved in a fraud attributed to a suspicious company called “18kRonaldinho.” The scheme offered generous but fake profits of around 2% per day to those who invested at least $30 in digital currencies. Ronaldinho initially appeared as an ambassador for the organization, which sold watches and jewelry. Ronaldinho, who won the Ballon d’Or award in 2005, did not come to court to provide further information about his potential role in the company. Interestingly, even if he had come, he would have had the chance to remain silent before the judges.
Ãureo LÃdio Moreira Ribeiro, federal congressman of Rio de Janeiro, stated that officials have called Ronaldinho to appear in court on August 30th. Ribeiro warned that if Ronaldinho fails to appear, law enforcement forces will “use force” to bring him to court. The former footballer’s lawyers insisted that their client was actually a victim of fraud, claiming that the criminals used his image and name illegally to defraud more people. The affected investors who uncovered the potential scam demanded the return of 300 million reals (approximately 61 million dollars) for the financial and emotional damages caused to them.
Not Ronaldinho’s First Project
Although the aforementioned case is still ongoing, it should be noted that the Brazilian joined the crypto ecosystem legally over a year ago. Ronaldinho, known for constantly smiling and showing respect towards his opponents on the field, has a large fan base, with nearly 75 million followers on Instagram. Taking advantage of this situation whenever possible, Ronaldinho is not new to the crypto sector.
Last year in February, Ronaldinho became an ambassador for New World Inc., a subsidiary of Graph Blockchain, and introduced his countless fans to NFT experiences. A few months later, the athlete signed another deal and collaborated with the decentralized exchange P00LS to launch his own token called RON.
