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Thodex Founder Faruk Fatih Özer Found Dead in Turkish Prison, Probe Launched

Authorities have opened a forensic inquiry after preliminary findings pointed to suicide.

Overview

  • State broadcaster TRT reported that Özer was discovered in his cell at Tekirdağ F-Type High Security Prison, and officials have begun a judicial and forensic investigation.
  • Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said initial evidence indicates suicide, with the official cause to be determined at the conclusion of the inquiry.
  • Özer was serving a 11,196-year sentence handed down in 2023 for aggravated fraud, leading a criminal organization, and money laundering.
  • Thodex, founded in 2017, collapsed in April 2021 after halting withdrawals, with losses later estimated by Chainalysis at about $2.6 billion and a user base reported near 390,000–400,000.
  • After fleeing Turkey, Özer was arrested in Albania on August 30, 2022 and extradited in 2023, and his siblings and other executives also received lengthy prison terms.