Gregory “Tuffy” Baum and Frank DiCrisi are connected to Traders Domain by Savvy Wallet.
The connection between Savvy Wallet and Traders Domain was first covered by BehindMLM back in February 2023.
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Briefly put, Oscar Garcia, DiCrisi, and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum were in charge of the now-defunct Batched Ponzi operation.
At some point, DiCrisi (right) and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum started using Savvy Wallet, a cryptocurrency payment processor they owned, to transfer Batched investor monies into Traders Domain.
The SEC contacted Batched in the middle of 2022 and asked for details about the company.
Garcia was dropped by DiCrisi and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum around the conclusion of 2022. Around the same time that Traders Domain crashed, Batched also failed.
The SEC is still looking at Batched and Garcia, as well as perhaps Gregory “Tuffy” Baum and DiCrisi.
The Traders Domain’s millions were cleaned out using batches.
Following up on Oscar Garcia’s accusation that Frank DiCrisi was to blame for Batched’s demise, Garcia recently asserted in a legal document that tens of millions of dollars had also been laundered.
For reference, the parties in this story are:
- Batched – the rebranding of the Uulala Ponzi scheme (late 2021)
- Oscar Garcia – owner and CEO of Uulala and Batched
- Fire blocks – a crypto payment processor used by Batched
- Batched Merchant Services – shell company created by Frank DiCrisi in mid-2022
- The Traders Domain – collapsed Ponzi scheme (non-MLM)
- Ted Frederick Joseph Safranko – the owner of The Traders Domain
- Savvy Wallet – cryptocurrency wallet and payment processor
- Frank DiCrisi – co-owner and COO of Batched, co-owner of Savvy Wallet and The Traders Domain investor
- Gregory “Tuffy” Baum – co-owner of Savvy Wallet and The Traders Domain investor
Following up on Oscar Garcia’s accusation that Frank DiCrisi was to blame for Batched’s demise, Garcia recently asserted in a legal document that tens of millions of dollars had also been laundered.
| On January 12, 2023, the Court ordered me to do the following within 24 hours of being served with the “Order to Show Cause Re Preliminary Injunction; and Temporary Restraining Order”: (1) take all steps necessary to reactivate the Fireblocks platform, (2) provide Plaintiffs with the Fireblocks credentials (i.e. private keys) for the Fireblocks platform, (3) provide Plaintiffs with the API code for the mobile app used in conjunction with the Savvy Wallet platform, (4) provide access to the Fireblocks vault and Master Account, and (5) take no further actions to deactivate or block the Fireblock platform. |
Later on, it will become clear why DiCrisi and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum were so anxious to obtain Batched’s Fireblocks credentials.
Garcia says that as of January 19th, he complied with the TRO’s requirements mentioned above.
If granted, the requested injunction would make the conditions irrevocable.
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Garcia states right away in his filing that the SEC’s 2021 lawsuit against the company for fraud was the reason the Uulala branding was removed.
| We decided on a firm to settle with the SEC following years of litigation. I was personally penalized, but I was under no need to confess or deny my wrongdoing. Frank owns and controls the business Uulala, which was also penalized. Following the penalties, we discovered that a number of our banking providers had ceased providing services to us after learning about the SEC investigation and settlement. We switched the Uulala program to Berkeley Payments, a different card issuer. Evolve Bank is the main bank in Berkeley. Frank and I kept running the business while transferring all services to Evolve Bank. Uulala and Batched both opened Evolve Bank accounts. Evolve Bank soon followed suit and terminated the Uulala card-issuing program, citing the SEC settlement as justification, however, they kept Batched as a client. Uulala was shut down sometime in or around March 2022, while Batched continued at Berkeley and Evolve Bank. Soon after, Frank called me and informed me that for Evolve Bank to continue dealing with us, they would need my name erased from the company’s records. I concurred. |
Batched continued for a few months until July 2022, at which point the SEC said it was reopening its inquiry into the business (BehindMLM learned of and covered the SEC’s probe last month).
| The SEC sent us another letter in or around July 2022 requesting additional information regarding Uulala, Batched, and any other businesses we created or controlled. |
Batched Merchant Services was developed by Garcia and DiCrisi in response to the SEC’s letter.
This was an attempt at pseudo-compliance; Batched DAO was for MLM, and Batched Merchant Services would handle the financial part of the firm.
Garcia claims that the Batched Merchant Services agreement he and DiCrisi made was erroneously backdated to 2021 (keeping in mind that Batched Merchant Services wasn’t even founded until 2022).
| The agreement so seemed strange to me. In hindsight, it is apparent that Plaintiffs and Frank took another step toward the development and implementation of the Ponzi scheme with the separation of Batched into Batched Merchant Services and Batched DAO. |
That’s The Traders Domain, which we’ll discuss later, not Batched itself as a Ponzi scam.
| The Agreement served as a tool in the Plaintiffs’ fraud since it was employed to allay SEC concerns, give the companies a more reputable appearance, and advance the development and operation of the Ponzi scheme. This was just one of the actions taken by the Plaintiffs and Frank to consolidate their authority and manage the Ponzi scheme. The contract’s main goal—to support the continuation of a Ponzi scheme and money-laundering crime against the consumers of Plaintiffs—is made possible by the fact that it is illegal. |
In October 2022, Batched’s “accounting issues” reached a boiling point within the ongoing SEC probe.
| continuously reminding Frank over the phone and in texts that we needed to quickly handle the accounting difficulties (i.e., who we owe money to and how much we owe them). I told him that I was worried that several individuals might sue us because of all the delays. |
And it was at this point that Garcia allegedly became aware of the Traders Domain Ponzi scheme.
Around October 28, 2022, I learned of “The Traders Domain” program over these text conversations.
Frank claimed to have the means to pay off our debts to sales agents and make money. He explained the program to me when I inquired how.
He asserted that if I invested $20,000 in the scheme, I could withdraw 1% to 2% daily virtually right away.
I informed him in my text message that it sounded unsustainable and similar to many of the unlawful operations that had previously been shut down.
| He insisted that he was already getting excellent benefits from the involvement of his family. On text, he asserted that he was in charge of $4 million of their funds and that he could make us whole if something went wrong. I informed him that I would call him later to discuss it. He mentioned that he and his son, along with Plaintiff Gregory “Tuffy” Baum and his son, were getting excellent results throughout the conversation. Frank said that Plaintiff Savvy Wallet LLC (“Savvy”) and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum brought in “The Traders Domain” when I inquired about who brought the client in. I told him I wasn’t willing to take the chance of taking part in a prohibited program. Concerning my SEC settlement and the request for the ongoing inquiry, I was concerned. |
Think about November 2022;
| By November, I discovered an odd email from Frank to Fireblocks, our cryptocurrency wallet provider, while going through my emails. Early in 2021, we began using FireBlocks with Uulala and paid $5,000 per month for their services. We kept using the service with Batched and spent more than $60,000 for a full year of use. But after reading this email, I understood that Frank was attempting to remove me from the system. I sent an email to everyone involved inquiring as to the timing and legitimacy of this request. Frank retorted that it had already happened, perhaps around November 9, 2022. I retorted that this was not how we had agreed to things. |
On a subsequent phone contact, Garcia and DiCrisi allegedly rectified the problem.
| He and I decided that the ownership will remain in my console after our phone conversation. |
Things become a little murky at this point since Garcia discovered through correspondence with Fireblocks that DiCrisi had “sold” Batched to himself.
| Frank’s subsequent emails to Fireblocks corroborated our recent phone chat, and he instructed them to leave ownership to me. He sent me two emails confirming this. Frank never disclosed to me that he had transferred Batched Merchant Services to Savvy in October 2022, despite what he stated in his affidavit that was submitted with the “Ex Parte Application for Temporary Restraining Order and OSC Re: Preliminary Injunction.” These behaviors concerned me. I quickly blocked his access to email and looked into his behavior. I discovered that Frank asked for assistance to modify the ownership status of Batched DAO LLC sometime in or around July 2022. Tracey Wallace and Frank DiCrisi emailed our LLC service provider to inquire about the requirements for the ownership change. The communication from our LLC provider confirmed that she need my signature. The following email I read showed Frank DiCrisi giving her my signature on the document she needed. This signature is not mine, and I don’t remember signing it. That document was faked by someone. That worried me. |
DiCrisi was eventually questioned by Garcia with his conclusions.
| After a few days, I sent Frank an email outlining all I had discovered. Frank received an email from me on or about November 16, 2022, in which I warned him to cease all work and warned that “Any mismanagement or fraudulent convenience of Tech, Vendors, Clients or funds is frankly illegal and a case against you me or both. I described my findings in the email on the more than $11 million in cryptocurrencies that were transferred through our system and paid to the business “The Traders Domain.” I informed him that it was impossible for the firm he was using to operate in the United States. On its website, the corporation makes that statement. In the email, I mentioned to Frank that I had an outside accounting team look at the business and our operations. The independent accounting team was worried that someone might have been acting as a mule in this case to launder money. The “mule” was our system, and Frank DiCrisi was the insider who permitted these actions. I voiced my worries to him and told him that we needed to sort out and resolve these difficulties. Frank DiCrisi responded to my email with a settlement agreement rather than a declaration that he had sold the business to Savvy in October or requests for Fireblocks keys. |
DiCrisi made a $200,000 service and six-month assistance offer to Garcia.
The disclosure of the Evolve Bank data belonging to Uulala and Batched was also included in the settlement agreement.
These were never made available.
| He made explanations for why he was unable to obtain them. I discovered an email in which Frank may be seen downloading our two bank accounts’ electronic statements in early 2022. He was lying about that, in my opinion. |
Garcia claims that DiCrisi handled the laundering of tens of tons of dollars from The Traders Domain Ponzi through Batched between November 2022 and the end of the year.
| I learned about multiple instances of the team’s misuse of cryptocurrency deposits over the Christmas break. I was notified that the tons of $40,000 worth of Bitcoin was missing. I advised Frank that to reconcile the account, he would need to review his questionable accounting procedures to determine permitted customers to withdraw Bitcoin or exchange cash for it. I requested all records from him. He requested that I instead send one of our top programmers, whom Frank no longer wanted to work with, to look into the matter. I did that. But what was shown was shocking: almost $20 million worth of cryptocurrency entered and exited our system over the previous two months. There were no fees involved, and when we saw that the majority of the transactions were for the business “The Traders Domain,” I had to act. I carried out a thorough audit and legal analysis of all the transactions. |
Garcia describes The Traders Domain’s Batched money laundering operations in this section of the filing.
| The Traders Domain is a Ponzi scheme. Frank DiCrisi and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum are running a flow of money into the Ponzi scheme with their own money. They have transferred more than $50 million in cryptocurrency and US dollars directly to the “The Traders Domain” systems using our technology and service providers. Savvy collaborates with The Traders Domain or counts them as clients. Technical experts from Batched were hired by Savvy to develop a special mechanism that would permit the entry of US dollars and cryptocurrencies into the Traders’ Domain. Large incoming fund transfers received on behalf of a foreign client with little to no stated justification are typical indicators of a Ponzi scheme. The majority of fund transfer activity is unexplained, repeated, and displays odd patterns. Additionally, payments or receipts frequently have no obvious connections to valid contracts, goods, or services received. Here, every one of these indicators was visible. In conclusion, during my inquiry, the Plaintiffs altered the Batched system to permit the Traders Domain to operate in the United States. This activity is supported by some of the transactions we have seen, which show that during November and December 2022, more than $20,841,697.519 in USDT alone was transferred into and out of our Fireblocks service. |
At this time, according to Garcia, he “shut down” Batched’s Fireblocks account.
| I did not terminate the Fireblocks account to sever the Plaintiffs’ commercial ties. I took action to put an end to the illicit activity that was taking place and to safeguard the funds belonging to Plaintiffs’ clients that were involved in the Ponzi scheme. We were able to temporarily halt the fraudulent use of Plaintiffs’ clients’ money in the Ponzi scheme and enable an audit by deactivating the platform. |
Although the failure of The Traders Domain, DiCrisi, and Gregory “Tuffy” Baum was given access to the laundered money and the barred Fireblocks account through the granted TRO.
| I wrote Frank a message on January 3, 2023, telling him we needed to perform a thorough audit and “turn off all access to systems until the audit and legal are done.” The Court should order the deactivation of the Fireblocks platform to put an end to the Plaintiff’s unlawful behavior and safeguard the cash belonging to Plaintiff’s clients. |
On January 9th, 2023, Gregory “Tuffy” Baum (and indirectly Frank DiCrisi) filed a lawsuit against Oscar Garcia. I think the ex-parte, as mentioned above, TRO, was approved on January 12.
The preliminary injunction motion will be heard at a hearing on February 27.
I don’t have direct access to the court documents, but I will return on February 28 to see if anything has changed.
Reddit Discussions on Gregory Tuffy Baum
Curiosity draws individuals into the scam; many people have fallen victim to this, but they were ignorant of these types of fraudulent schemes and have suffered losses; it is best to research the company’s merits and downsides.
Many newbies fell into the trap of these scammers to make money, but they were unaware of the motives behind these MLM firms. Despite the thousands of complaints regarding this issue, only a small number of people receive their money because these schemes were merely a waste of time and money.
The MLM scheme structure is quite repetitive in these digital markets, therefore it is critical to keep a close eye on the type of investment you are searching for and to avoid falling victim to Ponzi schemes.
I agree with what the author is attempting to communicate in this article about how someone can become so nasty and selfish that they unlawfully launder a million dollars without fear of higher authorities.
This fundamental rule is to send numerous emails and messages to irritate you, but you must ignore them at all costs to avoid falling victim to a scam.
How do these fraudsters operate these forms of fraud without any restrictions? They have deeper links with higher authorities through which they can easily carry out their fraud.
It is distressing when a large number of people are duped by these types of fraudsters and placed in these types of bogus MLM schemes. Before investing in any form of MLM scheme, people conduct extensive research.
The number of complaints and news articles about this demonstrates how many people have suffered significant losses after putting their trust in these types of organizations that utilized people’s money for their business.
These MLM companies were never trustworthy at any cost. People had to incur various losses as a result of dealing with them. Avoid any company that is associated with Gregory C. Baum.
It is hard to see that the media were unable to cover these types of news, and many people were unable to know about these types of scams in the market.
The higher authority has taken some strict actions on this type of issue where were scammed by these types of fraudsters. And put them behind bars.
The Traders Domain is essentially the instrument by which these types of scams occur seamlessly and are subsequently used for money laundering; individuals can access these scammers to steal their money.
People like Gregory C. Baum don’t care about other people’s money, and after executing a fraud, they may quickly flee the spotlight. The media was unable to cover this type of news in public.