Jacob Anderson, one of the heads of the DEBT Box mining company, announced the abduction of his brother and co-founder of the company Jason Anderson. This is reported by Fortune.
According to available information, in March 2024, after a business meeting in Dubai, Jason Anderson was unable to leave the country. After communicating with the airport staff, the entrepreneur was taken to a hotel room, where he was held for two weeks. According to Jacob, two of their DEBT Box partners, Shad Brannon and Roydon Nelson, are behind the kidnapping. The first holds the position of president, the second — director and a number of other positions.
Under "psychological influence," they allegedly forced Jason Anderson to hand over control of a mining firm and more than $400 million to them. They also achieved recognition that Anderson owes some "people" in Dubai another $90 million. The kidnapped man was able to report the incident to his brother thanks to the Internet-connected TV in the room.
The case of the alleged crime is being investigated by the Utah State Police.
According to the FBI, Dubai law enforcement officers visited Jason Anderson at the hotel and found no signs of kidnapping. Also, according to the department, a criminal case has been opened against a businessman in the UAE, for this reason he was unable to leave the country. At the same time, the U.S. Embassy in Dubai allegedly advised Anderson about obtaining a new passport.
In addition, the co—owner of DEBT Box appeared in a YouTube interview dated late June - three months after the alleged abduction, in which he spoke about plans to reopen the company.
Brannon and Nelson's lawyer denies any accusations of kidnapping by their clients.
Another business partner of the brothers, on condition of anonymity, told Fortune that despite the contradictions in the story, Jacob Anderson continues to insist on Jason's abduction and that the company's money is frozen.
Recall that in August 2023, the SEC accused DEBT Box (Digital Licensing Inc.) of fraudulently raising $50 million in cash, as well as unnamed amounts in bitcoins and Ethereum. The regulator urgently froze the company's assets and took action against four of its executives and 13 other defendants.
In December, the court concluded that the department's lawyers had misled him in an attempt to block DEBT Box funds. In the process of reviewing the case, the mining firm was able to refute the SEC's allegations about the transfer of investors' money outside the United States.
In May 2024, the regulator withdrew the lawsuit and received a court order to pay the company's costs for $1.8 million.