In October 2025, documents from the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) exposed that Ted Nuyten, former owner of BusinessForHome, was contacted by the City of London Police (CoLP) in December 2016 regarding his promotion of the OneCoin Ponzi scheme, per The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The CoLP’s Economic Crime Directorate, led by Kieran Vaughan, expressed concerns that BusinessForHome articles could mislead vulnerable investors, highlighting the site’s “biased” coverage and failure to report regulatory fraud warnings, per. Nuyten sold BusinessForHome to Armand Puyolt earlier in 2025, but during his tenure (2015–2017), the site frequently promoted MLM Ponzi schemes, including OneCoin, per.
Vaughan’s letter cited OneCoin’s investigation, noting articles like the “Top Earners Ranks” page and Nuyten’s February 26, 2016, piece where he claimed neutrality as a “scorekeeper, not a lawyer,” per. The CoLP requested removal of promotional content for public safety, per. Nuyten did not publicly disclose the contact and allegedly forwarded it to OneCoin, which then engaged Carter-Ruck, per. OneCoin’s $4 billion global fraud, confirmed by U.S. authorities in 2023, resulted in billions in investor losses, per DOJ. Nuyten appeared in OneCoin marketing videos styled as interviews, peaking promotion around 2016, per.
Carter-Ruck attorney Claire Frances Gill warned OneCoin to “complain” about the CoLP investigation to sow doubt, per TBIJ. The firm sent letters claiming Vaughan’s statements were “defamatory” and threatened legal action, escalating to his superiors, per. OneCoin investor Jennifer McAdam publicized a secret recording where Vaughan called OneCoin a “scam,” prompting Carter-Ruck threats against her, per. This led to Gill’s SRA prosecution recommendation in August 2025 for “improper threat of litigation,” with a hearing scheduled for December 2025, per Reuters. The SDT ruled Carter-Ruck was retained “in furtherance of fraud” in September 2025, per The Guardian.
OneCoin collapsed in October 2017, shortly after CoLP’s response letter outlining its issues, per. The CoLP dropped its investigation in September 2019, deferring to the DOJ, per. Nuyten announced in January 2018 that BusinessForHome would stop promoting OneCoin post-collapse, quietly unpublishing content, per. Despite $4B in U.S.-pegged losses, Nuyten never acknowledged or apologized publicly, per DOJ. Under new ownership, BusinessForHome still hosts OneCoin articles, per. This case underscores MLM risks and influencer accountability, per.
OneCoin’s $4B fraud highlights MLM crypto dangers, with Ruja Ignatova on the FBI’s Most Wanted list since 2017, per. Investors should verify via sec.gov and avoid schemes promising high returns. Bitcoin (BTC) ($113,234) and Ethereum (ETH) ($4,070) remain stable, per CoinMarketCap, but meme coins like DOGE ($0.245) carry volatility. Diversify into USDC with stop-losses below BTC’s $112,000, per TradingView. Follow @TheBlock__ on X for regulatory updates. Nuyten’s role contributed to losses, emphasizing due diligence in 2025’s crypto landscape, per.
