The FBI Is Looking for QuadrigaCX Victims

Multiple criminal investigative agencies within the U.S. are looking into the circumstances of the now-defunct Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX.

According to a press release published Monday, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division (IRS-CI), the U.S. Attorney General’s office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are investigating the exchange, which filed for bankruptcy following the death of its founder and a months-long civil rehabilitation process.

The FBI published a questionnaire for victims, asking for personally identifying information, contact information and details about their QuadrigaCX accounts.

“If you have questions or concerns about your QuadrigaCX account, or if you believe you are a victim, please complete the below questionnaire,” the release says, adding:

“Your responses are voluntary but would be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information.”

The FBI and IRS-CI are legally required to provide victims of federal crimes with information, assistance and other resources.

According to Fortune, the FBI has been investigating Quadriga since at least March, alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Quadriga’s founder and CEO, Gerald Cotten, died during a charity trip to India in December, according to his widow, Jennifer Robertson. A month later, the exchange filed for creditor protection, with professional services firm Ernst and Young (EY) acting as the court-appointed monitor for the exchange. Though the exchange was said to be holding some $134 million in crypto, EY has been unable to locate any of its holdings (aside from 103 bitcoin accidentally transferred to an inaccessible wallet).

As of last month, EY said the exchange has roughly $21 million in assets (including fiat currencies), but could owe customers as much as $160 million.

The exchange began bankruptcy proceedings in April.

FBI logo image via Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock