Robert Dunlap, a Texas resident, has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for orchestrating a cryptocurrency fraud scheme that defrauded nearly 1,000 investors of over $20 million. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Dunlap must also pay restitution to the victims. Between 2018 and 2023, Dunlap operated under the guise of a cryptocurrency business, promoting a fraudulent digital asset known as "Meta-1 Coin" through the "Meta-1 Coin Trust." Dunlap falsely claimed that the token was backed by $1 billion in artwork and $44 billion in gold, and misled investors by asserting that a major accounting firm had certified the gold's value. The purported art collection included works by Picasso, Dali, and Van Gogh. To support his claims, Dunlap forged legal documents to hide the absence of the gold and artwork.