Originally Syndicated on September 27, 2024 @ 6:14 am
What Happened?
Caio Marchesani, the owner of a London-based fintech company, has recently come under fire for allegedly facilitating a massive money-laundering scheme involving cryptocurrency. Reports suggest that Marchesani helped launder millions in drug money for notorious criminal organizations, including a Brazilian drug lord known for violent tactics. According to several media outlets, Marchesani’s fintech platform enabled the transfer of illicit funds via Bitcoin, making it difficult for authorities to trace the origins of the transactions.
As these allegations surface, Marchesani appears to be actively attempting to suppress the negative press surrounding his involvement in the scandal. Sources indicate that Marchesani and his associates have been trying to censor damaging news articles, remove critical social media posts, and minimize the visibility of the accusations in the public domain. His efforts to maintain a clean public image have only fueled suspicion, as it raises questions about the extent of his role in the money laundering operation.
While Marchesani has not publicly addressed the allegations in detail, the severity of the accusations has led to widespread concern about his fintech company’s operations and its potential involvement in other illicit activities. His reported attempts to censor the flow of information have drawn criticism, with many arguing that such actions only serve to further damage his credibility.
For a deeper dive into these accusations and their implications, several platforms, including CryptoNews and CoinMarketCap, offer detailed accounts of Marchesani’s alleged role in laundering money for drug cartels. As this story continues to unfold, Marchesani’s reputation and the future of his fintech business hang in the balance.
Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)
Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.
List of Fake Copyright Notices for Caio Marchesani
Evidence and Screenshots
How do we investigate fake DMCA notices?
To accomplish this, we utilize the OSINT Tool provided by FakeDMCA.com and the Lumen API for Researchers, courtesy of the Lumen Database.
FakeDMCA.com is the work of an independent team of research students and cybersecurity professionals, developed under Project UnCensor. Their OSINT Tool, designed to uncover and analyze takedown notices, represents a significant step forward in combating these abusive practices. It has become a valuable resource, increasingly relied upon by journalists and law enforcement agencies across the United States.
Lumen, on the other hand, is an independent research initiative dedicated to studying takedown notices and other legal demands related to online content removal. The project, which operates under the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, plays a crucial role in tracking and understanding the broader implications of such requests.
What was Caio Marchesani trying to hide?
Caio Marchesani is a London-based fintech entrepreneur who has come under intense scrutiny due to his alleged involvement in a large-scale drug money laundering operation facilitated through cryptocurrency. As the owner of a fintech company, Marchesani’s business was purportedly used as a vehicle to transfer millions of dollars’ worth of illicit funds, primarily involving Bitcoin, for criminal networks. These networks allegedly include notorious Brazilian drug traffickers known for violent activities, such as the “finger-cutter” drug lord. The details of these allegations have been reported across various media outlets, painting a troubling picture of Marchesani’s business dealings.
While fintech companies often promote financial innovation and accessible banking solutions, Marchesani’s fintech firm appears to have taken advantage of the anonymity and decentralized nature of cryptocurrency transactions. According to the allegations, this allowed criminals to launder proceeds from drug sales through complex crypto transactions that evaded detection by financial authorities.
The allegations against Caio Marchesani are serious and have raised questions about his integrity and the legitimacy of his business operations. Here are some of the major issues that have surfaced in the media, which Marchesani allegedly seeks to suppress:
1. Money Laundering Allegations via Cryptocurrency
The most damaging accusation against Caio Marchesani involves his alleged role in facilitating drug-related money laundering. Reports from media outlets like CryptoNews and Valor describe how Marchesani’s fintech firm was implicated in the transfer of large sums of drug money, primarily using Bitcoin. The funds were allegedly laundered for high-profile criminal organizations, including a Brazilian drug cartel led by a violent figure known for torturing his enemies. Marchesani is accused of helping these criminals clean their money by using crypto assets, which are notoriously difficult to trace once they enter the decentralized blockchain ecosystem.
These reports suggest that Marchesani’s fintech platform played a central role in orchestrating these crypto transactions, which ultimately made it harder for authorities to track the origins of the money. Law enforcement agencies in both Europe and South America are reportedly investigating Marchesani’s involvement, with some sources claiming that millions of dollars were funneled through his business in a coordinated effort to launder drug money.
2. Attempts to Suppress Negative Press and Censor Damaging News
Alongside these allegations, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that Marchesani has been actively attempting to censor negative press and remove damaging news from the internet. Several reports indicate that his legal team has issued takedown requests to media outlets and review platforms, asking them to remove articles that detail his alleged involvement in criminal activities. This is a common tactic used by individuals or companies seeking to protect their public image from further harm.
- Social Media Scrubbing and Legal Threats: Marchesani is reported to have leveraged legal threats to pressure independent journalists, bloggers, and social media influencers to retract or delete posts that shed light on his shady past. Social media platforms have increasingly become a battleground for reputational management, and there are claims that Marchesani has used this space to try and control the narrative surrounding his fintech business.
- Removal of Reviews and Reports: In addition to social media, it is alleged that negative reviews from former clients and damaging news articles have been removed from public platforms, likely at Marchesani’s behest. While some businesses request the removal of defamatory or inaccurate content, the widespread nature of these efforts hints at a deliberate attempt to hide deeper issues.
3. Association with Criminal Networks
Another disturbing element of the allegations surrounding Caio Marchesani is his purported connection to notorious criminal networks, including drug cartels. According to multiple sources, Marchesani’s fintech business served as a front to facilitate large-scale money laundering for these organizations, allowing them to convert drug money into crypto assets with ease. The use of cryptocurrency to launder money is not new, but the scale and sophistication of the operations linked to Marchesani have attracted significant attention from both law enforcement and the media.
These accusations place Marchesani in a highly controversial position, as he is not just being accused of aiding small-scale criminals, but rather, enabling powerful, violent organizations to continue their illicit activities. The involvement of such networks adds a layer of danger and complexity to the accusations, as these groups are known for operating outside the law with little regard for the consequences.
4. International Investigations
As a result of these allegations, Caio Marchesani is reportedly under investigation by international law enforcement agencies. Authorities in both Europe and Brazil are said to be looking into his business operations to determine the extent of his involvement in the money laundering scheme. These investigations have garnered international media coverage, raising the stakes for Marchesani and increasing his efforts to shield himself from further negative attention.
Investigative reports suggest that these agencies are examining not only Marchesani’s fintech firm but also the network of shell companies and offshore accounts that may have been used to further obscure the illicit flow of money. If these investigations yield substantive evidence, Marchesani could face serious legal repercussions, including charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and aiding criminal enterprises.
5. Attempts to Maintain a Public Image of Legitimacy
Despite the growing allegations, Marchesani has continued to present his fintech company as a legitimate financial platform. Publicly, he maintains a front of professionalism and innovation, emphasizing the benefits of crypto technologies. However, the allegations paint a starkly different picture, where behind the scenes, the company is allegedly involved in criminal financial operations.
Marchesani’s attempts to control his public image include:
- Media Manipulation: By attempting to suppress negative news and amplify more positive or neutral content, Marchesani aims to maintain an appearance of legitimacy in the fintech and crypto industries. His efforts to “scrub” the internet of negative press and reviews are part of a broader strategy to continue operating under the radar of many potential clients and partners.
- Reputation Management Campaigns: Reputation management agencies may have been enlisted to boost positive content related to Marchesani and downplay damaging stories. While many businesses employ these services for benign purposes, in this case, it appears to be part of an effort to divert attention away from the serious allegations he faces.
Caio Marchesani is a fintech entrepreneur whose business is now at the center of a significant money-laundering scandal involving major criminal organizations. The allegations against him are both serious and wide-ranging, implicating his fintech company in helping drug traffickers launder millions of dollars via cryptocurrency. Additionally, Marchesani’s attempts to censor negative press, remove bad reviews, and suppress damaging news raise red flags about his integrity and the true nature of his business operations.
For potential clients or partners, these allegations cast doubt on the trustworthiness of Marchesani and his fintech firm. The full extent of his involvement remains under investigation, but as more details emerge, it becomes increasingly clear that caution should be exercised when dealing with any business connected to him.
Only Caio Marchesani benefits from this crime.
Since the fake copyright takedown notices were designed to remove negative content for Caio Marchesani from Google, we assume Caio Marchesani or someone associated with Caio Marchesani is behind this scam. It is often a fly-by-night Online Reputation agency working on behalf of Caio Marchesani. In this case, Caio Marchesani, at best, will be an “accomplice” or an “accessory” to the crime. The specific laws may vary depending on the jurisdiction. Still, the legal principle generally holds that if you actively participate in planning, encouraging, or facilitating a crime, you can be charged with it, even if you did not personally commit it.
How do we counteract this malpractice?
Once we ascertain the involvement of Caio Marchesani (or actors working on behalf of Caio Marchesani), we will inform Caio Marchesani of our findings via Electronic Mail.
Our preliminary assessment suggests that Caio Marchesani may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Caio Marchesani, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Caio Marchesani to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.
Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –
- Inform Google about the fraud committed against them.
- Inform the victims of the fake DMCA about their websites.
- Inform relevant law enforcement agencies
- File counter-notices on Google to reinstate the ‘removed’ content
- Publish copies of the ‘removed’ content on our network of 50+ websites
By investigating the fake DMCA takedown attempts, we hope to shed light on the reputation management industry, revealing how Caio Marchesani and companies like it may use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking them to allegations of fraud, tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking…
Since Caio Marchesani made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and our original review of Caio Marchesani, including but not limited to user contributions, remain a permanent record for anyone interested in Caio Marchesani.
A case perfect for the Streisand effect…
Potential Consequences for Caio Marchesani
Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.
Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.
Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.” Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).
Is Caio Marchesani Committing a Cyber Crime?
Yes, it seems so. Caio Marchesani used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Caio Marchesani could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.
Faced with these limitations, some companies like Caio Marchesani have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.
Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Caio Marchesani is certainly keeping interesting company here….
The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.
Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.
Reputation Agency’s Modus Operandi
The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.
Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.
How did Caio Marchesani purport this DMCA Fraud?
As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Caio Marchesani creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.
The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.
The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.
In committing numerous offences, Caio Marchesani either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Caio Marchesani, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.
The Reputation Laundering
Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.
The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.
In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.
This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.
Not In Good Company
Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Caio Marchesani is in great company ….
Ironically, the manipulation tactics used to remove public-interest information from the Internet are backfiring on Caio Marchesani, which is now associated with the worst of this world.
Here are some of the specimens that share the internet space with Caio Marchesani –
Miguel Octavio Vargas Maldonado
Miguel Octavio Vargas Maldonado appears to be the former foreign affairs minister of the Dominican Republic. His name is listed next to more than 500 links to news articles, blogs, social media posts, and YouTube videos targeted for removal or de-indexing. Many of the articles refer to questions over his political fundraising practices. They include accusations that Vargas had received donations from an individual who would later be convicted of drug trafficking. Some targeted links remain active, while others return 404 errors or “file not found.”
José Antonio Gordo Valero
José Gordo joined OneCoin in 2015 and has been named in an indictment for the OneCoin scam in Argentina. The articles listed next to Gordo’s name in the documents reviewed by Rest of World include references to his role at the company.
Diego Adolfo Marynberg
He appears to be the same Marynberg connected to funding right-wing causes, including settlement efforts in Israel. Reports also alleged that his company received preferential treatment in acquiring Argentinian bonds worth millions of dollars. More than 70 URLs appear next to Marynberg’s name in the documents, including pages from the Israeli newspapers The Times of Israel, Haaretz, and Clarin, one of Argentina’s most prominent news sites.
Majed Khalil Majzoub
Majed is an influential businessman with close ties to several governments, including the administration of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Majzoub’s name appears next to more than 180 URLs, mostly from independent outlets. Of the two URLs that pointed to articles from Germany’s Der Spiegel, one now returns an error message; the other, which appears to refer to relations between Venezuela and Colombia, directs to an unrelated story about Brexit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Caio Marchesani commit a cyber crime?
Yes, filing a fake DMCA notice is illegal. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows copyright holders to issue takedown notices to protect their works from unauthorized use online. However, submitting a false DMCA notice can result in legal consequences.
Under the DMCA, a person knowingly submitting a false copyright claim can be subject to penalties, including damages. DMCA notices require the filer to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the content infringes their copyright. If the notice is found to be fraudulent or made in bad faith, the filer can face.
What are the potential consequences for Caio Marchesani?
Civil lawsuits: The affected party can sue for damages, legal fees, and other costs.
Perjury charges: False certification in a DMCA notice can result in perjury-related penalties, which vary by jurisdiction.
Other legal penalties: Fines or other penalties depending on the case
Did Caio Marchesani commit a Civil or a Criminal offense?
Perjury is a criminal offense, not a civil crime. It involves intentionally lying or making false statements under oath, typically in a court of law or other legal proceedings, such as affidavits or depositions.
Criminal charges: Perjury is prosecuted as a criminal act, and a conviction can lead to fines or imprisonment, depending on the severity of the false statement and its impact on the case.
Felony status: In many jurisdictions, perjury is classified as a felony, which carries more severe penalties than misdemeanour offences.
So, while it may affect civil cases, the crime of perjury itself is strictly criminal.
What is the Streisand effect?
The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms.
Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible.
Can Caio Marchesani purge its Digital past?
Once information is uploaded to the internet, it can be replicated, shared, archived, or stored across multiple servers. If Caio Marchesani manage to delete the original post or file, copies may remain accessible in other places, such as web archives, screenshots, or other users’ devices.
In practice, completely erasing content from the internet can be extremely difficult due to how widely information can spread and be stored. Thus, the idea that “the Internet never forgets” reflects the challenge of entirely removing digital content once it has been shared.
What else is Caio Marchesani hiding?
Click here to visit the Google Search page for ‘Caio Marchesani’. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)
To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with us. If you have any information on Caio Marchesani that you want to share with us, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].
All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.
References and Citations Used
Over thirty thousand DMCA notices reveal an organized attempt to abuse copyright law.
Reputation Management, or Internet Conspiracy
Exposed documents reveal how the powerful cleaned up their digital past using a reputation laundering firm.
Companies Use Fake Websites and Backdated Articles to Censor Google’s Search Results.
Bad Reviews: How Companies Are Using Fake Websites to Censor Content
How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists
Many thanks to FakeDMCA.com and Lumen for providing access to their database.
Photos and Illustrations provided by DALL-E 3 – “a representation of Caio Marchesani censoring the internet and committing cyber crimes.”
- Our investigative report on Caio Marchesani’s efforts to suppress online speech is significant, as it raises serious concerns about its integrity. The findings suggest that Caio Marchesani has engaged in questionable practices, including potential perjury, impersonation, and fraud, in a misguided attempt to manage or salvage its reputation.
- We intend to file a counternotice to reinstate the removed article(s). While this particular instance is relatively straightforward, it is important to note that, in other cases, the overwhelming volume of automated DMCA takedown notices can significantly hinder the ability of affected parties to respond—especially for those not large media organizations.
- You need an account with fakeDMCA.com and Lumen to access the research data. However, accounts are not widely available since these non-profit organisations manage large databases that could be susceptible to misuse. Nevertheless, they do offer access to non-profits and researchers.
- It’s unclear why U.S. authorities have yet to act against these rogue reputation agencies, whose business model seems rooted in fraudulent practices.
- We’ve reached out to Caio Marchesani for a comment or rebuttal regarding this investigation. It will strongly suggest they were behind the takedown attempt if they remain silent.
About the Author
The author is affiliated with Harvard University and serves as a researcher at both Lumen and FakeDMCA.com. In his personal capacity, he and his team have been actively investigating and reporting on organized crime related to fraudulent copyright takedown schemes. Additionally, his team provides advisory services to major law firms and is frequently consulted on matters pertaining to intellectual property law. He can be reached at [email protected] directly.
