Former Manchester United midfielder Anderson has been charged with multiple criminal charges for his alleged involvement with an illegal cryptocurrency organisation.
Anderson and seven other people have been charged with theft, fraud and money laundering following an investigation carried out by the local authorities in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The group of people have been accused of illegally redirecting funds by using crypto operations to cover up their money trail.
According to the probe headed by the Rio Grande do Sul Public Prosecutor’s (MP-RS) office and dubbed Operation Crypto show, the former footballer has been alleged to have formed a group and stolen money and laundered it via virtual currency.
In 2020, Anderson’s house was raided, and his computer was seized. The Brazilian admitted that he worked as a crypto trader but denied all rumours of him being involved in illegal activities.
The current operation, however, is different. This one happened in April 2020 when there was a theft of R$30 million from a major Brazilian industrial firm. The authorities have found out that the money was transferred to 11 bank accounts in different Brazilian states and then laundered with the purchase of cryptocurrency from Brazil and also from outside the country.
However, the 33-year-old has denied all the allegations till now. He has claimed that he will do everything in his power to clear his name.
“We have not been summoned, it is hard to talk right now,”
“There is an investigation underway, Anderson has said he is aware. But Anderson is going to prove that he was a victim, not an accomplice. That is his position.”
the former player’s lawyer Julio Cezar Coitinho Junior explained to Globo.
Anderson is known for his 8-year spell at Manchester United, where he was considered as the next big thing by Sir Alex Ferguson. The 2008 Golden Boy award winner had all the potential in the world to be a superstar but made only 105 appearances.
After leaving Old Trafford in 2015, he returned to Brazil, featured for Internacional, and played for Coritiba on loan. Lastly, he finished his career after a two-year at Turkish side Adana Demirspor.
