One of the major questions the film poses is whether or not Robertson knew about Cottens scheme before he died. The broad outlines of his story were blandly conventional, at least if you. If Robertson was involved with the companys operations, that would contradict her sworn affidavit that she was not implicated in its dealings during Cottens life. Netflix Special on Bitcoin Fraudster Gerald Cotten, His Wife, and QuadrigaCX. In her affidavit, she wrote she could not find any sort of information relating to Quadriga's accounts, "despite repeated and diligent searches.". He had mentioned that if anything were to happen to him, there would be this dead man switch which would provide me with all of his financial information or his parents might have got it, he said and then it never came, she said. The couple was on their honeymoon in Jaipur, India at the time. CRYPTOCURRENCIES are a form of payment that can be exchanged for goods and services. Shed just married her best friend, Gerald Gerry Cotten, at a ceremony in a Scottish castle; she had recently started a business managing property; and, using the money from Cottens stupendously profitable Bitcoin exchange, she and Cotten had spent that past couple years traveling the world in high style, visiting everywhere from Malta to Dubai to Morocco to Paris. Investors, sold on the premise that they would be able to trade assets quickly like they could on the stock market, found that it was taking weeks or months to pull their money out of Quadriga. There were at least five major attacks last year, alone, while Japan, home to some of the worlds most active digital-asset exchanges, has also hosted two of the biggest known crypto hacks: the Mt. I really did feel, even though I couldnt bring back their money and everything they lost, she said. It also found that Quadriga had "inadvertently" transferred Bitcoins valued at half-a-million dollars into more cold wallets, which they were unable to access, reported the BBC. And with him went the passwords to Quadriga's accounts, which held an estimated 190million. At her lowest, she tried to take her own life. But Cotten's name was misspelled on death documents and he'd prepared his will just days before the honeymoon. She'd just married her best friend, Gerald "Gerry" Cotten, at a ceremony in a Scottish castle; she had recently started a business managing property; and, using the money from Cotten's stupendously profitable Bitcoin exchange, she and Cotten had spent that past couple years traveling the world in high style . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Jennifer Robertson and in January 2019, Quadriga . A 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were arrested after a counterfeit drug with fentanyl led to the overdose death of a teenage girl. His wife said he had promised to create a mechanism that turned the passwords over to her when he died. Doris Maria Bregolisse/ Global Okanagan. But, Neither the monitor nor others involved with the organization are aware of a dead-man switch email having been received. And as investigators discovered, in many cases, the money wasnt there to be returned at all: Cotten had spent it himself. She was grieving the man she loved, while learning that same man had deceived her, and defending him against ruthless attacks. This set off a wave of speculation about what Cotten had been planning, some founded, some baseless. In his will, Cotten bequeathed"any interest I may own"in the company to his"spouse's mother Carol Terry, and her spouse, Thomas Beazley.". Putin's thugs close in on ravaged Ukrainian city with thousands fleeing as intense fighting rages, Partygate buster Sue Gray's son 'boasting about mum on campaign trail as he tries to unseat Boris Johnson', Suella Braverman vows to stop the boats with new law to crack down on migrants using human rights laws to stay in UK, Runaway mum Constance Marten was 'groomed' by evil Nigerian sect leader, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Rishi Sunaks new bill to end the Channel migrant crisis is crucial for the Tories, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). A check-in on the public mood of Canadians with hosts Michael Stittle and Nik Nanos. Jennifer Robertson tells frustrated investors that exhuming her late husband's body would 'do nothing to help with the asset recovery process' December 18 2019. Regulators were able to recover about $27m of customer funds, and Robertson turned over almost all of her possessions, including $12m in assets and the couples extravagant possessions, but nearly $200m remains missing or inaccessible. The death wasnt announced until a month and a half later, in January 2019. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. With her partner, she is expecting a daughter. Spoilers: Billions Again Talk About Bitcoin, Bitcoin Doesn`t Cope With The Role Of Shadow Finance, Right After The Halving, Users Withdrew More Than $230 Million From BTC Exchanges. She'll get . You can climb your way out.. Robertson, who married Cotten in June 2018, agreed yesterday to return about C$12 million of assets to Quadriga as part of a voluntary settlement, which still requires court approval. That's just one of the questions explored in the documentary Dead Man's Switch a crypto mystery (part of the 2021 Hot Docs festival), which takes you on a deep, but explanatory, dive into the mysterious death that left $215 million dollars in cash and cryptocurrency missing. Now recruiting: Nova Scotia starts testing foreign-trained family doctors, Meet the student who went straight from a Kenyan refugee camp to Acadia, Home repair program in Yarmouth County aims to patch gaps in getting help, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. The next day, the Crohn's disease. British documentary and TV director Luke Sewell helmed the movie. A visionary leader who transformed the lives of those around him, he will be greatly missed. 7 Texas beat No. ET. "And if it's too good to be true, it probably is. At the time, he was the CEO of QuadrigaCX, a company that performed cryptocurrency exchanges. Supposedly Gerry was the very first person Jennifer swiped right on when she started using the app. In the film, the question arises of whether a mechanism was setup where, for example, if someone doesn't put their password in for 30 days, the private keys can be sent to someone else. Heres what happened to Jennifer Robertson, the wife of the notorious Bitcoin scammer featured in Trust No One. Terms & Conditions. Grab your salt and pour some directly down your drain at night. I could bring them some answers.. The charity tells donors they can build a 12-child home like this one from . Seperti banyak orang lain di industri ini, Gerry Cotten merancang bisnisnya tidak hanya sebagai Christian Parker's 22 points helped lead the Mount Union men's basketball team into the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I face it head on and I feel like I really took a lot of the consequences for someone elses mess, she said. Follow live updates from the main event, plus Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso and more. She is listed as itspresident, secretary and sole director. At the same time, the patterns could mean that the exchange had set up automatic transfers to larger exchanges when its wallet balances reached a certain amount, or, alternatively, that theres some fishy business going on, Elementus founder Max Galka said. While proponents of digital currencies argue that the incorruptible nature of the blockchain is its primary feature, investors in the likes of Bitcoin and Ether have frequently lost their digital codes, locking themselves out of their accounts with little recourse. Back in 2018, 30-year-old Cotten took a trip to India with his now widow Jennifer Robertson for their honeymoon and to open an orphanage. Jennifer Robertson speaks with CTV's Your Morning, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. The virtually unregulated world of digital currencies has been a breeding ground for hacks and thefts since the Bitcoin was invented more than a decade ago. All Rights Reserved. That would be with Gerald Cotten, her former husband, a controversial Canadian cryptocurrency businessman who suddenly died in 2018, leaving behind a trail of missing millions, lawsuits, investigations, and wild conspiracy theories related to his company QuadrigaCX. Unfortunately, the honeymoon was short-lived, and Cotten was declared dead within 24 hours of their arrival in India. She was just as flabbergasted as everyone else, opening computers and homes for searches by police and still learning little about what ultimately became of all that money. But Robertson was only one of the people affected by Cottens scam: After his death, Quadriga users had lost over $200 million, which Ernst and Young attempted to recover. We could travel to exotic places.. She still thinks about her husband when she hears a song they both liked, or looks at old photos. I never for a second thought that Gerry wasnt doing what he told me, she said. In an exclusive interview, Jennifer Robertson speaks out publicly about her deceased husband, Gerald Cotten, his $215-million fraud and her new book, Bitcoin Widow Joe Castaldo Alexandra. The 2023 SAG Awards Will Be Streaming-Only For The First Time Ever, The Tinder Swindler Is Facing New Allegations From An Ex-Girlfriend, Heres Everything Coming To & Leaving Netflix In March 2023, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Blockchain is a decentralised technology spread across computers that manages and records transactions. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Gerald "Gerry" Cotten was the co-founder of Canada's once largest bitcoin currency exchange, until it all came crashing down in late 2018. . Listen and subscribe to get a weekly update with the newsmakers who matter. Given how much money Cotten and Robertson were spending, its understandable that many including some reviewers of her memoir are skeptical about her claims that she didnt know anything about Cottens lawbreaking. The first thing Jennifer Robertson says when she answers the phone is, with a laugh, Im not on an island with Gerry.. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. In the end, I ended up losing everything. She said shes done all she can to help authorities find the lost money, and shes hoping the book can offer her version of something Gerald Cotten never could give: the truth. In October 2018, Jennifer Robertson was living the life of her dreams. J ennifer Robertson was widowed when Cotten, the founder of QuadrigaCX, died suddenly in India in December, leaving behind a business in chaos and as much as $180 million of cryptocurrency. Use of this Website assumes acceptance of Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy | Accessibility, Published Thursday, January 20, 2022 8:49AM EST, Last Updated Thursday, January 20, 2022 10:06AM EST, 'Chances are basically zero' of recovering some Bitcoin passwords worth millions: cryptocurrency firm, Widow of QuadrigaCX founder to hand over most assets in settlement, FBI reaching out to users of defunct cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX, QuadrigaCX cryptocurrency exchange officially placed in bankruptcy, An insider's view of the Quadriga meltdown: 'It's kinda devastating', Lawyer says QuadrigaCX is out of money: 'We don't have anything', Fraser Health orders review after patient left bleeding overnight in hallway, Why some Canadian teachers and professors are inviting ChatGPT into the classroom, Missing northern Ontario plane found, no survivors, UN seeks Canadian help for 'enormous' needs as number of refugees doubles, IN PHOTOS: Here's what Ontario looks like under 30 centimetres of snow, Canada's chief of the defence staff makes trip to Ukrainian capital. Bitcoin Magazine could not independently validate that the trust exists. As part of Quadriga's temporary legal protection under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act, Ernst & Young, an independent monitor, found Quadriga did not have an official bank account and instead processed its payments through third parties and was run from Cotten's laptop from his home in Fall River, Nova Scotia, according to The New York Times. Jennifer Robertson became the focus of a lot of suspicious chatter online after her husband died and his company collapsed, exposing a $200-million fraud. Canada's Globe and Mail investigated Cotten's death. Jennifer Robertson and Gerald Cotten traveled around the world before Quadriga unraveled. Robertson, who married Cotten in June 2018, agreed yesterday to return about C$12 million of assets to Quadriga as part of a voluntary settlement, which still requires court approval. Cottens money allowed them to travel extensively and in high style, something Robertson loved. Get the latest versions of the top games in 2023. During the good years, the couple seemed to have it all and then some. Cotten also owned a home in British Columbia's . Gerald Cotten, a Nova Scotia resident originally from Ontario, was 30 years old when he died suddenly while travelling in India on Dec. 9 -- leaving his virtual company, QuadrigaCX, without access . The company's demise was triggered by the 2018 bitcoin crash and exacerbated by the death of its co-founder, Cotten in December 2018, who was in control of everything the business entailed. Robertson owns two other properties in her own name, including an island in Mahone Bay the couple purchased in September 2017 from Fox News personality Tucker Carlsonfor $161,250 well below the island's tax-assessed value of $349,400. 2023 CoinShark Media. (AP/Rick Bowmer). But his lies were convincing enough he operated without detection for years under the eyes of regulators, creditors, and even his own wife. Jennifer Robertson, the widow of the late QuadrigaCX exchange CEO, appears to be liquidating and shuffling some estate assets. The Seaglass Trustbecame the mortgage holder on all properties owned by Robertson Nova Property Management on Jan. 25. The Quadriga story doesnt make sense, Emin Gn Sirer, a professor at Cornell University and co-director of the Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts, wrote in an email Wednesday. Investors were left without the cash they put in, while Cotten's widow said she had no idea he was seemingly running a crypto scam. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end makes his hosting debut, with Kelsea Ballerini as musical guest. https://t.co/5rvGZ2BfLV. Now, most of those tied to the Quadriga scandal are left only with their questions, regrets, and warnings. Instead, Quadriga was moving Ether to larger exchanges through mid-January, Elementus said. However, things took a turn as the business matured. Robertson expected a "Dead Man's Switch" (an email or message triggered by an unexpected death providing passwords to accounts) to be activated shortly after Cotten's death, as he had allegedly promised he would set up, but this never materialized. Nova Scotia's property registry shows Robertson, her husbandand her company bought 16 properties between May 2016 and October 2018, ranging in price from $94,000for a waterfront lot in Lunenburg County to $2.5 million for nine row houses in Bedford. I think the most misunderstood part of everything that happened was that I had something to do with Gerrys disappearance or Gerrys death, or that I hadnt cared about the investors, which is absolutely not true, Robertson said. Cotten QuadrigacxGerald W. Cotten129Keyword1.91.45 . Carlson was identified on the deedas general manager ofIsland Limited Partnership,registered in Maine. According to Ernst and Young, an accounting firm appointed by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to investigate Quadriga, Family members were expecting to receive an email with critical Quadriga operating information that is, a dead-man switch within days of Mr. Cottens passing, which would have allowed Robertson to take on management of the exchange, and return money to people who asked for it. The company didnt even have an official bank account, processing payments through third parties or Cottens own laptop. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The talent and depth in the Big 12 also explains how and why No. But shes got other priorities now. Twelve properties are currently held by Robertson Nova Property Management Ltd., a company registered toRobertson's home address. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Gerald "Gerry" Cotten ran the Quadriga cryptocurrency exchange. Gerald Cotten was a like a dream to . So it's a really interesting world, but be careful.". As heard in Trust No One, some people believe he faked his death or has changed his name and appearance to remain undetected. Then Gerald Cotten suddenly died, in December of 2018, from complications with Crohns disease. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice| Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information| Ad Choices And the fact that Cotten would rapidly get rich over first couple years of their relationship didnt exactly hurt. Quadriga tested these principles to the fullest. Canadian Tong Zou is one QuadrigaCX creditorfeatured in Dead Man's Switch a crypto mystery, who lost his life savings, more than $500,000, and had to sell his apartment in San Francisco to try to crawl out of debt. She'll get to keep about C$90,000 in cash, a C$20,000 retirement savings plan, a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, her wedding band, some personal furnishings and Quadriga shares. It was one thing to try to wrap her mind around the idea that Cotten had scammed users of Quadriga out of money; it was another to find out that he had run his first online Ponzi scheme when he was 15 years old and never stopped. When QuadrigaCX founder and CEO Gerald Cotten passed away suddenly in December of 2018 in India, he was allegedly the only person with the knowledge of the exchange's cold storage keys. And while she was trying to sort through her emotions, she was being harassed by people on the internet who didnt believe her husband was dead. The OSC concluded Cotten was effectively running a Ponzi scheme. The CEO left his wife his Jeanneau 51 sailboat; an airplane, a Lexus and a Mini Cooper (among other unnamed motor vehicles); and properties at 1021 Lamont Lane, Kelowna, British Columbia, 71 Kinross Court in Nova Scotia, 511 and 512 Ringling Court in Nova Scotia and 34 Little Island and Seaview Drive in Nova Scotia to his widow. Actress. Robertson said that her new book is very clear about her mental health struggles in the hopes that her experiences will help others going through something difficult make a turnaround. "Trust No One: The Hunt For The Crypto King" is streaming on Netflix now. She and Cotten often traveled in private jets and when they arrived at their destinations, they enjoyed the best hotels and cruises. "I. Robertson couldnt access Cottens devices, which meant that she along with everybody else was locked out of Quadriga. And some burned former investors like Mr Zou dont believe the conspiracies, arguing that it wouldnt make sense for Cotten to fake his own death after the price of bitcoin tanked, rather than during, when he could have made off much richer. 29 2022, Published 3:03 p.m. This lack of registration facilitated Cotten's ability to commit a large-scale fraud without detection. A Kelowna home owned by Gerald Cotten, the CEO of QuadrigaCX who died in December. In the beginning, I obviously never believed that Gerry could ever do something like this and very adamantly defended him.. Jennifer Robertson, Cotten's widow, said her husband moved most of the digital assets to cold storage, and experts she brought in to try to hack into his other computers and mobile phone met . So did the absence of internal oversight over Cotten.". The Ontario Securities Commission found that Cotten was operating a Ponzi scheme, ultimately crediting himself with false currency and crypto-asset balances, which he traded with unsuspecting clients of QuadrigaCX. Back at home, they were investing in equally luxurious real estate. In one exchange, Cotten had been going on and on about the greedy Canadian government taking millions via taxes. Cotten became an outspoken public spokesperson for crypto, appearing at conferences and events and telling one podcast, Its pretty much money by people for people, all while constantly talking with Ms Robertson about how people had the wrong idea about bitcoin as solely the province of hackers and hucksters. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Sometimes when people pass away, they leave their family not only with grief, but also with multiple financial issues. It turned out that Gerald Cotten, the chief executive officer of the cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX left quite a mess after his death, which his wife Jennifer Robertson now has to deal with. At first, like many wives, she defended her husband. "The timing didnt make sense to me, he told Sky. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Who was the crypto king Gerry Cotten and what happened to him? The Clark County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents within a 1,000 feet of the train derailment in Clark County to shelter in place. Cottens will itemizes a host of high-end assets that are now under Robertsons control. Find out more about cryptocurrencies below.. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. In December 2018, Cotten died during his honeymoon with his wife, Jennifer Robertson, in Jaipur, India . In December 2018, Cotten died whilst on honeymoon in India, taking CA$250 million ($200 million) with him and the passwords to Quadriga accounts where Quadriga funds were stored in "Cold Wallets." The pair met in 2014 on Tinder. After his death, online trolls harassed Robertson so aggressively that she had to change her phone number and email address, shut down her social media accounts, and temporarily move into a safe house. Robertson currently lives in Halifax, in Nova Scotia, with her partner and their chihuahuas Nitro and Gully. The Cottens home was filled with piles and piles of loose cash, which Gerry claimed was a consequence of supposedly discriminatory banks who didnt yet understand crypto and refused to work with them. Tong Zou, 33, lost his life savings on Quadriga, including a $200,000 gift from his parents, as he describes in the Netflix film. Robertson herself admits that she saw her marriage through rose-coloured [sic] glasses, but those glasses were forcibly removed after Cottens untimely death in India. When it came to property, he and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Robertson lived in a three-bedroom in the posh Fall River area, north of Halifax. Fala Chen is a beautiful Chinese actress and singer. I truly think it was Gerrys cover, she said. The top-seeded UVM men's and women's basketball teams seek America East tournament championships. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Chris Rock addressed the infamous Will Smith slap in his live global Netflix special, "Selective Outrage.". When asked how she felt about investors turning to her for answers about their millions disappearing with her husbands death, Robertson said she felt very betrayed by him. She hopes to become an elementary school teacher. All the while, she says, she was trying to wrap her mind around the idea that her husband had been a scammer, and the life theyd led together was over. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Is Gerald Cotten, the late CEO of Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX really dead? For Robertson, the experience of thinking she knew the man she loved, only to learn about a vast, all-consuming lie, was one that broke her. Quadriga investors have yet to get their money back. "It's no Tiger King, it's Canada and people like their privacy.".