The most theatrical man in crypto has finally blown his act.
On October 17, Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek personally confirmed that Richard Heart (born Richard James Schueler), founder of HEX and PulseChain, was detained on October 14 in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district. The operation was led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by the city’s police intelligence and financial crimes units, with support from Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT).
The seizure list sounds like something out of a movie: $7.15 million in cash, six crypto cold wallets, 28 watches, 97 pieces of jewelry, 300 bags, 19 graphics cards, four long-barreled rifles, three unlicensed handguns, and 1,400 rounds of ammunition. Nine cars registered to his wife were also seized. His wife and three bodyguards were detained as well.
The case stems from an Interpol Red Notice—reportedly issued at Finland’s request—which accuses him of involvement in a $1 billion crypto fraud. This isn’t Heart’s first brush with the law: in 2023, the U.S. SEC sued him and HEX, PulseChain, and PulseX, alleging unregistered securities offerings and the misappropriation of at least $12 million in investor funds to buy luxury goods, including a 555-carat black diamond called The Enigma. But in 2025, a U.S. federal judge dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, and the SEC did not amend its complaint.
The U.S. case is over, but Finland’s isn’t. Turkey’s move has raised the cost of taking the “outlaw” route another notch.
The market reacted quickly: $HEX fell about 14% over the past 24 hours. That’s the fate of founder tokens—the more fantastical the story, the more perfectly symmetrical the collapse.
I don’t think “founder risk” in crypto has ever really been priced in. Heart’s arrest isn’t an isolated incident; it’s a footnote to a broader trend: the regulatory playbook is shifting from “regulating projects” to “going after people.” No matter what country you’re in or how deeply you hide your cold wallets, the combination of a Red Notice and the seizure of physical assets is enough to wipe out any escape narrative.
This is not investment advice. DYOR. Trading involves risk.
#HEX #创始人被捕 #Turkey