According to the French newspaper Le Monde, a French woman, Svetlana A., has been officially investigated and detained on suspicion of organized fraud, tax-related fraud involving aggravated circumstances, money laundering, and involvement in a criminal gang. French judicial authorities suspect that she, along with her husband and Verasity founder Robert H., carried out fraud by manipulating cryptocurrency prices, and may have used the related proceeds to buy real estate in Dubai. In the spring of 2021, VRA surged by 65 times within about two and a half months, before then crashing. An investigation by Le Monde shows that the woman spent more than €50 million in 2022 alone to buy about 100 apartments and three villas in Dubai. The parties deny wrongdoing, saying that the funds used to purchase the properties are legitimate.