Finnish police have seized 20 luxury watches from the founder of the cryptocurrency project Hex, Richard Hurt. According to the broadcaster Yleisradio Oy, the confiscated items, including Rolex products, were found at the businessman's residence in the city of Espoo and were valued at $2.68 million.
According to available information, the most expensive watch from this collection cost about $412,000. The police said that the law enforcement officers managed to calculate the luxury items thanks to a special team of investigators.
Hurt is under investigation for tax evasion in Finland. In December 2024, Interpol issued a so-called «red notice» against the entrepreneur. This is an official request from one of the organization's member countries for the search and temporary detention of a person for his subsequent extradition.
In addition to tax evasion, Finnish authorities accuse the Hex founder of assaulting a 16-year-old girl. This incident, according to law enforcement, included physical force and rough treatment.
Previously, the activities of the businessman and his company also attracted the attention of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agency filed a lawsuit against Hurt and the firm for illegally trading Hex, PulseChain, and PulseX tokens.
The actions violated the US Securities and Exchange Act because the entrepreneur advertised his products as a high-yield blockchain-based certificate of deposit, the agency said.
The SEC claims that Hurt may have spent $12 million of investors' money on luxury items, including expensive watches and real estate. In addition, he is accused of falsely advertising the income from investments in Hex.
The entrepreneur himself denies all the accusations and is sure that he is being investigated because of «hatred for his success». The founder of Hex filed a motion to dismiss the SEC lawsuit, but the court rejected this claim.