Centra

Centra Tech should have been just another crypto fraud story—an ICO that imploded under its own lies. But instead of fading into infamy, it has taken a darker turn. Long after its founders were sentenced, a quiet campaign began to erase Centra’s history, censor critical coverage, and bury the truth under layers of manufactured noise. What looks like the ghost of an old scam may, in fact, be the foundation of the next one.

The Mirage of Legitimacy

Back in 2017, Centra Tech, Inc.—fronted by Ray Trapani, Sohrab “Sam” Sharma, and Robert Farkas—rolled out its ICO with all the buzzwords and glitz of the crypto boom. The pitch? A blockchain-powered debit card “backed” by Visa and Mastercard. The hook? Celebrity endorsements from Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled.

The reality? Pure fiction.

There were no banking partnerships. The supposed CEO with Wall Street credentials never existed. The cars, the lifestyle, the LinkedIn profiles—fabricated. Yet investors poured in more than $25 million before regulators stepped in. By 2018, the Department of Justice had filed criminal charges, and the founders faced convictions for wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy.

The Vanishing Act

In the aftermath of the trials, something strange began happening online. Articles critical of Centra disappeared. Bloggers received DMCA takedowns. Forums scrubbed discussions. Google search results filled with irrelevant filler content, burying investigative reporting beneath SEO-clogged fluff.

Why would anyone invest in silencing a failed scam? Unless, of course, that scam—or its architects—weren’t finished.

The Network Behind the Curtain

Digging deeper, a familiar pattern emerges. Whispers on Telegram channels and forums suggest ties between Centra’s clean-up effort and shady affiliate marketing rings operating out of Eastern Europe. Groups like Leadbit, accused in Ukrainian outlets of pushing counterfeit pharmaceuticals on vulnerable consumers, appear in the same orbit.

The common thread isn’t the product. It’s the people. Figures like Ruslan Tymofeev and Ruslan Drozdov—linked to “Adventures Lab,” a Ukrainian venture accused of global fraud—surface in the same circles that once hyped Centra’s ICO. The picture is less of a one-off crypto con and more of a sprawling fraud machine, endlessly rebranding itself to stay alive.

Inside the Court Files

Court transcripts from Rensel v. Centra Tech and the DOJ’s criminal cases lay bare the depth of Centra’s deception. Fake executives, forged partnerships, staged photoshoots with rented Lamborghinis—everything designed to sell a fantasy. Mayweather and Khaled even faced SEC penalties for their roles in promoting the ICO.

Why Erase the Past?

The answer is simple: reputation laundering. For serial scammers, Google is the biggest enemy. If a new project launches under fresh branding but searches link founders to Centra’s downfall, the scheme collapses before it begins.

That’s why the internet is being scrubbed. Not to protect investors, but to protect the scammers’ ability to reinvent themselves.

Who’s Running the Operation?

Though Centra’s official site is long dead, traces lead to familiar hideouts: Russia, Ukraine, Panama. Hosting providers and registrant details overlap with known black-hat SEO farms. These outfits specialize in manipulating search rankings, pumping out low-quality “press releases,” and flooding the web with noise to bury inconvenient truths.

Why This Matters

This isn’t only about the victims of Centra’s ICO. It’s about the scams yet to come. Fraudsters thrive when history is forgotten, when watchdogs look away, and when the public has no record to warn them. Erasing Centra’s past isn’t just a cover-up—it’s preparation for the next con.

Regulators, Take Note

The SEC, FTC, and global watchdogs must dig deeper. New blockchain and fintech projects that recycle Centra’s language, imagery, or networks should be scrutinized. A company that works this hard to erase history is not done—it’s regrouping.

Conclusion

Centra Tech is dead on paper, but its ghost lingers—scrubbing, silencing, reshaping itself for another act. Scams don’t die when the founders go to jail. They mutate. They rebrand. They wait for the public to forget.