Richard James Schueller Detained in Istanbul in Crypto Fraud Probe

Turkish police detained Richard James Schueller and his wife in Istanbul on Oct. 14 in a case tied to an Interpol red notice over suspected large-scale cryptocurrency fraud.

An Interpol red notice and an arrest warrant originating in Finland concerned suspected large-scale cryptocurrency fraud. After confirming Schueller's location, police monitored the residence and tracked him before making the arrest that morning. Istanbul police intelligence and financial-crimes units carried out the operation with support from Turkish intelligence. Schueller was taken to a police station for questioning, and the investigation into both spouses remained ongoing.

Police seized 12 phones, eight computer towers, six laptops, 20 graphics cards, 14 solid-state drives, seven USB drives and three memory cards. They also took three handguns, four long guns, seven magazines, 1,360 rounds of ammunition, a knife and two drones.

The seizure included 24 watches, 20 gold bracelets and seven gold necklaces. Police also found $600,000, 2,600 euros and 50,000 Turkish lira in cash.