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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Technology
Sarah Martin

HyperVerse promoter ‘Bitcoin Rodney’ accuses Australian Sam Lee in US court of duping him with ‘elaborate deception’

Screenshot from HyperVerse promotional video showing founder and CEO Sam Lee
HyperVerse founder and CEO Sam Lee in a promotional video. Photograph: HyperVerse

A key promoter of an alleged global $3bn Ponzi scheme claims in newly filed US court documents he was trapped by an “elaborate” fraud orchestrated by Australian Sam Lee, and should be released from custody.

Rodney Burton – known as Bitcoin Rodney – was charged in the US in early 2024 for his alleged part in the HyperVerse scheme, which swept the globe from 2020 and allegedly defrauded investors of US$1.89bn (A$2.9bn at current rates).

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