Stuff to Do (12/19/25)

The post U.S. Court Finds Pastor Found Guilty in $3M Crypto Scam appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Crime 18 September 2025 | 04:05 A Colorado judge has brought closure to one of the state’s most unusual cryptocurrency scandals, declaring INDXcoin to be a fraudulent operation and ordering its founders, Denver pastor Eli Regalado and his wife Kaitlyn, to repay $3.34 million. The ruling, issued by District Court Judge Heidi L. Kutcher, came nearly two years after the couple persuaded hundreds of people to invest in their token, promising safety and abundance through a Christian-branded platform called the Kingdom Wealth Exchange. The scheme ran between June 2022 and April 2023 and drew in more than 300 participants, many of them members of local church networks. Marketing materials portrayed INDXcoin as a low-risk gateway to prosperity, yet the project unraveled almost immediately. The exchange itself collapsed within 24 hours of launch, wiping out investors’ money. Despite this failure—and despite an auditor’s damning review that gave the system a “0 out of 10” for security—the Regalados kept presenting it as a solid opportunity. Colorado regulators argued that the couple’s faith-based appeal was central to the fraud. Securities Commissioner Tung Chan said the Regalados “dressed an old scam in new technology” and used their standing within the Christian community to convince people who had little knowledge of crypto. For him, the case illustrates how modern digital assets can be exploited to replicate classic Ponzi-style tactics under a different name. Court filings revealed where much of the money ended up: luxury goods, vacations, jewelry, a Range Rover, high-end clothing, and even dental procedures. In a video that drew worldwide attention earlier this year, Eli Regalado admitted the funds had been spent, explaining that a portion went to taxes while the remainder was used for a home renovation he claimed was divinely inspired. The judgment not only confirms that INDXcoin qualifies as a…

MSCI's plan to exclude crypto-treasury companies could cause $15B outflows, impacting major firms.

The post This U.S. politician’s suspicious stock trade just returned over 200% in weeks appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. United States Representative Cloe Fields has seen his stake in Opendoor Technologies (NASDAQ: OPEN) stock return over 200% in just a matter of weeks. According to congressional trade filings, the lawmaker purchased a stake in the online real estate company on July 21, 2025, investing between $1,001 and $15,000. At the time, the stock was trading around $2 and had been largely stagnant for months. Receive Signals on US Congress Members’ Stock Trades Stocks Stay up-to-date on the trading activity of US Congress members. The signal triggers based on updates from the House disclosure reports, notifying you of their latest stock transactions. Enable signal The trade has since paid off, with Opendoor surging to $10, a gain of nearly 220% in under two months. By comparison, the broader S&P 500 index rose less than 5% during the same period. OPEN one-week stock price chart. Source: Finbold Assuming he invested a minimum of $1,001, the purchase would now be worth about $3,200, while a $15,000 stake would have grown to nearly $48,000, generating profits of roughly $2,200 and $33,000, respectively. OPEN’s stock rally Notably, Opendoor’s rally has been fueled by major corporate shifts and market speculation. For instance, in August, the company named former Shopify COO Kaz Nejatian as CEO, while co-founders Keith Rabois and Eric Wu rejoined the board, moves seen as a return to the company’s early innovative spirit.  Outgoing CEO Carrie Wheeler’s resignation and sale of millions in stock reinforced the sense of a new chapter. Beyond leadership changes, Opendoor’s surge has taken on meme-stock characteristics. In this case, retail investors piled in as shares climbed, while short sellers scrambled to cover, pushing prices higher.  However, the stock is still not without challenges, where its iBuying model is untested at scale, margins are thin, and debt tied to…