My goal is to provide useful topical content so I can take what I have learned through life and business and pass it on to others. It doesn’t matter who you are and how much money you have things come up all the time and you never know when you will need another perspective. I don’t know it all but I’ve experienced more than most from a unique perspective
Today’s Lesson
If you haven't been living under a rock and spend time in crypto-land, you have most likely heard about the BitConnect Ponzi / Pyramid scheme. This post isn't about the Ponzi Scheme itself. It's about the judicial system and consequences that come from being naive. We are all naive to a certain extent especially when you have blinders on. In this we shall cover @Graig-Grant and @trevonjb (only because he's the other promoter.)
We live in a litigious society filled with greed in every direction. In life, you often learn lessons by either failing or having first-hand experiences that open your eyes up to the realities you never thought you would ever face. Although I opted to not follow my father's footsteps by not becoming an attorney, he has spent his life teaching me countless lessons of abstract legal theories and strategies that have helped me get through life, business and most importantly litigious situations.
Nobody really wins but the attorney.
While I do my best to avoid our judicial system, sometimes it's not avoidable. My last litigious situation was in 2015 and my one takes away that I'd like to share that is relatable to the Bit Connect (BCC) situation is that social media is a treasure trove for any prosecutor or defense attorney. Let me explain.
Twisting things to find a way.
My case was straightforward. The other side had nothing so they either needed to confuse the uninterested jurors or paint a picture with the hope I’d lose credibility. They didn't have much to go on because my instincts and truthful answers led a legal team of three down long dead-end streets. Yes, I said a team of three attorneys. I had nothing to hide but they aren’t looking for the truth. They are looking for anything to twist things just enough. They did this by pulling out a tweet. This tweet said, "Another great show put on by @phish." Backstory: My friend drove my car to a concert in a college town because I was drinking at a bar before the show. College girl goes through a red light with a cop directing traffic at the intersection. The impact totals my car. I was banged up a bit but the booze hid most of the pain. I went to Hospital the next day when I got home. I subsequently had two surgeries over 13 months. Anyway, the defense attorney pulls out the tweet and said it sounds like you had a great time at the concert after the accident. I replied every show is a good show, I've seen them countless times. I was giving the band public kudos for helping me through a shitty night. His response, "So you were happy to be at the concert." My response, "It was good to see old friends, watch my favorite band play live, but most importantly I was happy because there was a cop directing traffic at the scene of the accident and if my memory serves me correctly he testified on day 1 of the trial. I punch back hard. This shut him up and led to no further questions. Obviously, the attorney admitted my tweet into evidence to show the jury I was happy. They tried to twist my tweet but I knew how to play the game. Most people avoid going to trial because they don’t want to face unfounded personal attacks. It can get uglier than you could ever imagine.
Now that you know the background, onto BitConnect.
Now let’s talk about BitConnect Promotor, @Graig-Grant. I have nothing against this guy. Seems like a nice guy who got caught up in something he shouldn't have. People make mistakes. He was one of their top Promotors. There’s a lot of public information as he was doing what he needed to do to be a profitable promoter. Lately, he has been uploading 2-3 videos per day because he doesn’t have anyone to talk to about the situation. While I don’t watch his videos, in my opinion, he’s digging a deeper hole every time he uploads a video. Perhaps, Craig is trying to clear his name and reputation on youtube, however, he is clearly providing a Preponderance of Evidence and this is not good. I really do wish him the best of luck because he doesn't seem like a bad guy and I am sure he has learned a lesson. I hope he is able to dedicate one bitcoin to get himself a good attorney. This matters. Obviously, I don’t know the case all that well but if someone knows @Craig-grant tell him to stop posting videos.
He is giving the SEC and any prosecutors so much information that they must be beyond thrilled. He even showed his income taxes in one video. Revealing this info is crazy. It doesn't matter what happens to his SEC dealings. What he really needs to worry about are the civil lawsuits that will be coming in. He is opening himself up to massive amounts of litigation.
Apparently, he has never hired an attorney because rule #1 for the client is to shut the fuck up. A prosecutor will get the interns to find bits within his clips and chopped them up so they can paint a picture that benefits their side's position. No prosecutor is going to let him ramble on unless it's to their benefit. Attorneys frame questions with the expectation that the answer will be YES and NO. Of course, if you are like me and feel the need to push back to defend yourself you will be able to find a way. Generally speaking, lawyers are framing a story so they can create and present their version to the Judge or Jury. Example: is it true you profited $500k while promoting Bit Connect? They are looking for Yes / No, but you really need to find a way to paint a bigger picture and expand on this. A good response would be along the lines of... “No, after spending hundreds of thousands of advertising dollars I made much less.” This line can spiral out of control because it shows how involved he was so I recommend he have a good attorney. But you get my point.
In a jury trial, the jury rarely sees the whole picture as they are excused from the courtroom during significant sidebars and shenanigans. If jurors were able to hear the sidebars I am pretty sure they would really see what’s going on, but this is not how the court system is designed to operate.
Now back to Craig. It’s odd that he hasn’t been contacted by the FBI. I don't know if he is “the target” because he hasn't been subpoena by anyone. Those who have could be helping the SEC build a case. Whenever talking to law enforcement never do so without having an attorney. They are not your friends. They will use baseless scare tactics in a friendly way. They are not your friend. Know your rights.
In short, Social media can and will bite you in the ass. What’s no big deal to you, is a very big deal because it doesn’t take much to spin 140 characters of vagueness into something that is open to interpretation. This is what attorneys do. Ever hear the terms: 'More likely than not", "Beyond a reasonable doubt", "Clear and convincing proof?" They are there to paint a picture of themselves, not you.
Jah Rastafari
Peace,
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney.