Lost cash on SafeMoon? FBI says come get your share

If you’ve suffered financial losses as a result of the infamous SafeMoon fraud scheme, you might receive some compensation after all, as the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has urged anyone affected to step forward following an important conviction.

Indeed, after the May 2025 conviction of the company’s former CEO, Braden John Karony, for conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, the FBI’s New York Field Office has now launched an online questionnaire for investors who believe they were victims of SafeMoon.

FBI opens victim restitution process

According to the questionnaire description, victims who complete the form may be eligible for restitution, services, and other rights under federal and state law. Specifically, the agency said:

“The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. (…) Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim.”

Furthermore, the form asks SafeMoon V1 investors to provide details of their losses after which investigators might contact them directly. The Bureau emphasized that all victim identities will remain confidential.

As for the questions themselves, they include the usual in such cases: contact information, whether you purchased the tokens between March 1, 2021, and September 31, 2021, and if you’ve suffered a financial loss in connection with your investment.

From hype to courtroom fallout

As a reminder, SafeMoon burst onto the crypto scene in 2021, gaining notoriety through viral marketing campaigns, celebrity endorsements, and promises of soaring returns. 

At its peak, the token’s market capitalization reached billions of dollars. But behind the scenes, prosecutors say, its executives were orchestrating a classic rug pull. Karony’s verdict capped a lengthy trial that exposed how he and his partners misled retail investors while siphoning millions from the project’s liquidity pool. 

According to prosecutors, between March 2021 and June 2022, Karony and co-conspirators Kyle Nagy and Thomas Smith repeatedly told SafeMoon V1 investors that the liquidity pool, the reserve acting to secure trading, was locked and untouchable. 

In reality, the executives secretly accessed those funds, diverting and misappropriating large sums for personal use. Smith has already pleaded guilty, while Nagy remains at large.