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At least 1000 people have signed a petition to the US government to extradite the CEO of Sky Mining, Le Minh Tam, who is facing fraud charges in Vietnam.
The signatories allege that Tam fled to the US after he defrauded them of $36 million worth of investments in the crypto mining firm, formerly based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Posted on Change.org, the appeal shows a photo of Tam’s passport and explains some details of the incident. It explains that Sky Mining invited contributions ranging between $500 and $5,000 from 5,000 investors.
The concept behind the project was that the company would invest in bitcoin mining hardware and use the profits to reward investors proportionately to their contribution.
After Tam disappeared an investigation into one of its mining facilities reportedly found the place abandoned and equipment missing.
Tam sent a Facebook message following his disappearance claiming that negative market conditions and poor returns had led to his decision to go into hiding.
Victims are said to hail not only from Vietnam but also from Africa and Japan. Addressed to the Chancellor of Germany and six others, the petition says that Tam and his partner Le Minh Hieu are currently either in the US or Germany.
In addition to the German Chancellor, the petition has been sent to US president Donald Trump as well as to the United Nations.
Another Cry for Help
For Sky Mining investors, this is yet another attempt in an ongoing fight for restitution. Prior to this, they filed individual lawsuits against Tam and Sky Mining.
Furthermore, 20 investors were also said to have reported the matter to the Vietnam police department as a case of fraud.
According to the petition, some of the investors sold assets and borrowed money in order to invest in the project. It also reports that following the incident, one investor committed suicide.