01.11.2025 14:43
After a rapid rise in the world of digital currency, Faruk Fatih Özer, the founder of Thodex, which came into the spotlight due to a multi-million dollar scam, was found dead in his prison cell, hanging. Özer, who was captured in Albania in 2023 and extradited to Turkey, had made headlines as the person who established the country's first cryptocurrency ATM.
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The founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Özer, was found dead this morning, hanging in the toilet of his cell at Tekirdağ F Type High Security Closed Prison. It is suspected that Özer committed suicide, and he was facing a request for 11,190 years and 6 months in prison for charges including 'Establishing and managing an organization', 'Being a member of an organization', 'Qualified fraud', and 'Money laundering'.
HE HAD ESTABLISHED TURKEY'S FIRST CRYPTOCURRENCY ATM
The first example of Bitcoin ATMs, which are numerous around the world, was put into service in Nişantaşı, Istanbul in 2018. Faruk Fatih Özer, the CEO of the digital currency exchange Koineks (now known as Thodex), stated regarding the matter, "With the ATM, buying and selling Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become easier. Moreover, it will be a first in Turkey."
NUMEROUS CELEBRITIES HAD BEEN THE FACE OF THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
A lawsuit was filed against 17 people, including Pınar Deniz, Mine Tugay, Özge Ulusoy, Ebru Şallı, Bahar Şahin, Simge, Zeynep Demirel, and Deren Talu, who appeared in Thodex advertisements. A decision of non-prosecution was made in the investigation conducted against some celebrities on the allegation of participating in "fraud".
WHO IS FARUK FATİH ÖZER?
According to official records, Faruk Fatih Özer was born in Istanbul in 1993. Before fleeing, Özer deleted all information about himself from the internet. According to those who knew him, he studied in America. Özer, who started his working life in 2007, had his company Thodex operating in countries such as Turkey, Myanmar, Azerbaijan, and England. Faruk Fatih Özer, who was also active in the e-commerce sector for a while, later began to focus on software technologies. Most recently, he established the Gamebridge mobile gaming platform in 2020.
According to the Trade Registry Gazette records, Faruk Fatih Özer founded the company named Koineks Teknoloji AŞ on September 14, 2017. Özer is the sole shareholder of the company, which has a capital of 400,000 TL. The company's first address was a residence in Şişli Bomonti.
By February 2019, Özer moved the company's headquarters to an apartment in the Merdivenköy neighborhood of Kadıköy. Two weeks after this move, the company's headquarters was relocated to a 31-story tower in Göztepe.
HE HAD FLED ABROAD WITH 2 BILLION DOLLARS IN CRYPTOCURRENCY
In April 2021, Thodex announced that it would be temporarily closed to investors, but later the platform became completely inaccessible. Founder Faruk Fatih Özer fled abroad with nearly 2 billion dollars in cryptocurrency.
HE WAS CAPTURED IN ALBANIA AND BROUGHT BACK TO TURKEY
After a long search, he was captured in Albania in 2023 and extradited to Turkey. Following the extradition decision of the Durrës Appeals Court in Albania, Özer was brought back to Turkey on April 20, 2023, and was arrested.
DETAILS OF THE INVESTIGATION
In the indictment prepared by the Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the nature of cryptocurrency, the legal status of Bitcoin, how transactions are conducted on cryptocurrency exchanges, and the differences between exchanges were specified.
The indictment stated that the company named "Thodex" was established by Faruk Fatih Özer with a capital of 400,000 lira, and according to the MASAK report included in the indictment, it was recorded that this platform deceived its clients with fraudulent behaviors due to their business and transactions.
It was explained in the indictment that 253 million 714 thousand 909 lira worth of crypto assets were transferred from three separate accounts under the control of the defendant Faruk Fatih Özer, a significant portion of which was transferred to crypto asset wallets located at the "Crypto Asset Service Provider" based in Malta, which is the commercial center of the defendants Cem Uzunoğlu, Faruk Fatih Özer, and Zuhal Özer.
The indictment noted that a loss of 356 million lira occurred due to these crimes, and it was requested that 21 defendants, including Faruk Fatih Özer, 7 of whom are detained, be sentenced to 12,164 to 40,562 years in prison for "establishing and managing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", "fraud by using information systems as a tool of banks or credit institutions", and "fraud and money laundering by merchants or company managers and cooperative managers".
In the main opinion, it was requested that the defendant Faruk Fatih Özer and his siblings Güven Özer and Serap Özer be sentenced to imprisonment for 12,142 to 40,462 years for "qualified fraud", "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", and "money laundering of assets derived from crime".
It was requested in the opinion that the defendant Zuhal Özer be sentenced to 8 to 18 years in prison for "being a member of the organization" and "money laundering of assets derived from crime", while it was requested that the other 17 defendants be sentenced to varying prison terms for various crimes.
HE WAS ARRESTED ON APRIL 23
The founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, Faruk Fatih Özer, who was wanted as a fugitive defendant, was captured in Albania on August 30, 2022.
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After the return decision of the Durrës Court of Appeals in Albania, Özer, who was brought to the country on April 20, 2023, was arrested by the duty judge at the Anadolu Justice Palace on April 23.
In the decision made by the Anadolu 9th High Criminal Court on September 7, 2023, the detained defendants Faruk Fatih Özer, Güven Özer, and Serap Özer were sentenced to 11,190 years and 6 months in prison for the crimes of "establishing, managing, and being a member of an organization," "qualified fraud," and "money laundering."
Additionally, for one complainant, the defendants Faruk Fatih Özer, Güven Özer, and Serap Özer were each sentenced to 6 years, 4 months, and 15 days in prison, along with a judicial fine of 135 million lira for the crime of "fraud by using information systems."
The Özer siblings were sentenced to a total of 11,196 years, 10 months, and 15 days in prison individually.
Other defendants were given varying prison sentences for different crimes.
The panel acquitted 16 defendants of the charge of "qualified fraud" due to lack of evidence and ordered the release of 4 defendants.
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