Rodney Burton, known as ‘Bitcoin Rodney’, filed court papers seeking release from U.S. custody claiming he was deceived by HyperTech co‑founders in an alleged multi‑billion‑dollar Ponzi scheme. Filings describe staged presentations and fake endorsements that prosecutors say were used to lure investors into HyperVerse/HyperFund networks.

Rodney Burton, the promoter publicly known as ‘Bitcoin Rodney’, asked a U.S. court for release while contesting allegations that he knowingly participated in a sprawling HyperTech/HyperVerse scheme accused of bilking investors of roughly $3 billion. In filings, Burton maintains he was misled by principal defendants and portrays himself as a recruited promoter who believed the enterprise and endorsements were legitimate. The court documents include descriptions of elaborate staged events, purported celebrity endorsements, and marketing tactics designed to project credibility to investors. Prosecutors and civil plaintiffs, however, portray a coordinated effort to misappropriate funds through deceptive membership sales and affiliate payouts, asserting that promoters played a central role in recruitment and retention of investor capital. The case joins a wave of high-profile crypto fraud litigation targeting promoters, platforms and founders, raising questions about promoter liability, disclosure obligations, and investor due diligence. Ongoing criminal and civil proceedings will test evidence of intent, the distinction between bad investments and fraud, and potential remedies for affected investors.