French Entrepreneur Sentenced to 18 Months in Moroccan Prison for Crypto Fraud

The 21-year-old young man from Moselle had been living in Morocco for three years to launch his company, Africa Pay, the first neobank in Africa. He had been arrested for assault and an illegal commercial transaction, according to his lawyers. Two people filed a complaint against him after a cryptocurrency settlement and a bounced check.

Thomas Clausi was placed in detention on December 23, 2021 and was awaiting his trial, which had been postponed 16 times, according to his father’s statements. Last Thursday, the verdict was finally handed down. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a fine of around 3.4 million euros.

The justice system accuses him of having used bitcoins to buy a luxury car. An illegal operation, because in Morocco, the use of a cryptocurrency is considered illegal fund transfer. During the hearing, the defendant claimed he was unaware of this.