Braden John Karony, former CEO of SafeMoon, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in a multi-million dollar cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Eric Komite in a Brooklyn federal court after Karony was convicted in May 2025. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, and ordered to forfeit approximately $7.5 million. Restitution to victims will be determined later. Karony's fraudulent activities involved misrepresentations about SafeMoon's liquidity pool and the misuse of funds for personal luxury purchases, including real estate and vehicles. His co-conspirator, Thomas Smith, has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing, while another accomplice, Kyle Nagy, remains at large. Authorities highlighted Karony's betrayal of investor trust, which led to the misappropriation of over $9 million in cryptocurrency.