"As Kent Halliburton stood in a bathroom at the Rosewood Hotel in central Amsterdam, thousands of miles from home, running his fingers through an envelope filled with 10,000 euros in crisp banknotes, he started to wonder what he had gotten himself into. Halliburton is the cofounder and CEO of Sazmining, a company that operates bitcoin mining hardware on behalf of clients-a model known as "mining-as-a-service.""
"As Halliburton tells it, he had flown to Amsterdam the previous day, August 5, to meet Even and Maxim, two representatives of a wealthy Monaco-based family. The family office had offered to purchase hundreds of bitcoin mining rigs from Sazmining-around $4 million worth-which the company would install at a facility currently under construction in Ethiopia. Before finalizing the deal, the family office had asked to meet Halliburton in person."
"When Halliburton arrived at the Rosewood Hotel, he found Even and Maxim perched in a booth. They struck him as playboy, high-roller types-particularly Maxim, who wore a tan three-piece suit and had a highly manicured look, his long dark hair parted down the middle. A Rolex protruded from the cuff of his sleeve. Over a three-course lunch-ceviche with a roe garnish, Chilean sea bass, and cherry cake-they discussed the contours of the deal and traded details about their respective backgrounds."
Kent Halliburton, cofounder and CEO of Sazmining, traveled to Amsterdam to meet representatives of a Monaco-based family office that proposed purchasing hundreds of bitcoin mining rigs. The family office proposed a roughly $4 million deal to install rigs at a facility under construction in Ethiopia. At the Rosewood Hotel, Halliburton met two men, Even and Maxim, who presented themselves as wealthy high-rollers. During a three-course lunch they discussed the deal and backgrounds. Even suggested Halliburton sell about $3,000 in bitcoin as a relationship-building exercise. Halliburton accepted reluctantly and later found an envelope containing 10,000 euros, prompting concern.
Read at Ars Technica
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