Russian Drama Unfolds as Blum Co-Founder Gets Arrested for Fraud!

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Hold onto your hats, folks! It looks like things just went from “tap-to-earn” to “tap-to-jail” for Vladimir Smerkis, the former Binance bigwig and co-founder of the Blum app. Yup, you heard it right. The Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow has decided to give Smerkis a one-way ticket to the slammer. Why? Fraud charges, of course! But wait, the details? Oh, those are still a mystery. Looks like the Russians are keeping us all in suspense. 🎭

According to the ever-knowledgeable TASS news agency (because, really, who else would you trust?), the court granted an investigator’s request to lock up Smerkis. But, naturally, the charges are still as vague as a foggy morning in London. 🙄

The Russian legal eagle decided to invoke Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Because why not toss in a little criminal law jargon to spice things up, right? 📜

Now, here’s the real kicker: just a day before his arrest, Blum (the company, not the dinner salad) posted on social media saying that Smerkis was stepping down from his role as CMO. Oh, how convenient. He just ‘happened’ to leave the company right before getting arrested. What’s next? A company-wide “don’t worry, everything’s fine” email? Oh wait, that’s exactly what they did. 📧

Blum, in its infinite wisdom, thanked Smerkis for his “contribution” to the project. Yep, that’s how they do it in the world of crypto—send a thank-you note when your co-founder gets tossed in jail. 👏 “Thanks, buddy! Keep up the good work… in prison.” And as for day-to-day operations? They’re carrying on like nothing happened. Gotta love that business-as-usual mentality, huh? 😅

What is Blum?

So, now that we’ve covered the juicy legal drama, let’s talk about Blum itself. It’s a Telegram-based tap-to-earn (T2E) app that lets you earn crypto while you tap away. It’s like a gamified crypto exchange, but with a little less “game” and a lot more “why did I even download this?”

Started by a team of former Binance honchos, Blum’s mission is to make crypto feel less like a complex math equation and more like a fun little game. You know, because we all need a little more “fun” in our financial crimes, right? 🤔

And don’t forget—Smerkis was once the head of the Binance CIS segment. So, yeah, he knows a thing or two about crypto… and apparently, how to make a hasty exit. 😆

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2025-05-18 18:06