The U.S. legislation enforcement has apprehended Robert Robb, an MEV engineer identified within the crypto neighborhood as “pokerbrat,” in response to data from the Henderson Police authority.
The rationale behind the arrest, which occurred on March 20, stays unknown as of press time. Nevertheless, ZachXBT, the on-chain sleuth who referred to as consideration to the state of affairs, claims the event could possibly be tied to an earlier rug pull allegedly masterminded by Robb.
Notably, the saga started in December 2023 when ZachXBT spotlighted Robb’s alleged fraudulent actions. Based on his disclosure, Robb orchestrated a complicated scheme, swindling over $1.2 million from eleven unsuspecting people.
The victims had invested in varied Miner Extractable Worth (MEV) bots, which Robb claimed would quickly be operational. Nevertheless, as a substitute of delivering on his guarantees, the on-chain sleuth claims Robb vanished with traders’ funds.
Furthermore, the reasons for the delays ranged from COVID-related setbacks to well being points, change glitches, and even alleged extortion. In the meantime, the annoyed traders sought a number of avenues to get well their funds, with some working with ZachXBT to get justice.
Apparently, the sleuth revealed final December that Robb had a checkered previous. In 2002, he pleaded responsible to a $4 million rip-off, defrauding traders and utilizing the ill-gotten positive factors to take pleasure in frivolities. Furthermore, in 2007, he was sentenced to 3 years for fraud after stealing from over ten victims in Colorado.
Shortly after ZachXBT’s disclosure in December 2023, Robb threatened authorized motion in opposition to him, noting that he nonetheless plans to launch the MEV mission. The current arrest comes three months after the alleged $1.2 million rug case got here to limelight.
The crypto neighborhood now awaits the discharge of court docket paperwork to make clear the specifics of Robb’s arrest. Whereas the precise fees stay undisclosed, the proof factors squarely on the alleged rug pull.
The crypto scene has been a hotbed for these scams amid a shortage of ample regulatory efforts. Knowledge confirms that scammers stole a whopping $295 million from over 300K victims in 2023.