A documented, step-by-step account of how Justin Thomas Howarth of New Jersey defrauded victims through a fake cryptocurrency mining investment scheme.
This timeline documents the progression of the scam from first contact to total financial loss. Every phase was deliberate.
Justin Thomas Howarth initiates contact. Spends weeks building a personal relationship before any mention of business or money. Builds trust through regular conversation, FaceTime video calls using his own registered mobile phone number, and personal details that check out.
Proposes a crypto mining hardware deal. Claims he can source equipment at favorable rates with guaranteed returns. The pitch is technical enough to sound plausible, vague enough to avoid scrutiny. First payments sent.
Approximately $130,000 sent across multiple payments for mining hardware. Not a single unit delivered. Every inquiry met with a new excuse — shipping delays, customs issues, supplier problems. Always a reason, never a product.
$130,000Returns with a new opportunity — a mining farm investment with even larger returns. Frames it as a way to recover previous losses and generate passive income. Sends photos of a farm and hardware from Letine to make it look legitimate.
Payments continue via Western Union and cryptocurrency. Wallet addresses keep changing — each time with a new excuse: compliance requirements, new partnerships, technical issues. Every delay packaged with reassurance and urgency. “Just one more payment.”
Approximately $300,000 sent for the mining farm investment. Returns never materialize. Photos of Letine hardware were sent as “proof” the operation was real. Letine later confirmed he was fraudulently using their brand and products.
$300,000FaceTime calls continue to maintain trust. He used his own face, his own registered phone number — impossible to deepfake on a live mobile call. Background checks confirmed his identity: name, address, phone number all matched. This is why victims trusted him.
Contact cut off completely. Blocked on all channels. No warning, no explanation. 22 months of relationship, $430,000 in payments, and nothing to show for it.
Total: $430,000Police reports filed. Cases submitted to the FBI and Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Multiple other victims discovered — hundreds of people affected. Letine confirmed he fraudulently used their brand. Justin Thomas Howarth identified as operating out of the Columbus, New Jersey area, linked to GPU Gold LLC.
Sent via Bitcoin, PayPal, Western Union, and credit card over 22 months. Every transaction is documented and traceable.
He spent months building trust before asking for a single dollar. By the time money came up, it felt natural.
Wallet addresses changed constantly. Each change had a plausible-sounding excuse. None of them held up.
Always Western Union cash pickup or cryptocurrency. Never a standard bank transfer that could be reversed.
Every new request was framed as the payment that would unlock all the previous ones. Classic escalation.
Using his real name and face doesn't mean the business is real. Identity verification is not investment verification.
He used Letine's name and product photos to add legitimacy. Letine later confirmed he had no authorization.