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Moshe Hogeg

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Moshe Hogeg
משה חוגג
Born (1981-05-15) 15 May 1981 (age 43)
Beersheba, Southern District, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationBusinessman
Criminal statusReleased on bail, awaiting trial
Criminal charge
  • Sodomy
  • Human trafficking
  • Prostitution involving a minor
  • Cryptocurrency-related fraud
Date apprehended
November 2021

Moshe Hogeg (Hebrew: משה חוגג; born on May 15, 1981, is an Israeli businessman.

Early life

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Hogeg was born in Beersheba on May 15, 1981, in the Southern District of Israel, and grew up in the nearby local council of Meitar.[1][2] He identifies as an Arab Jew, his father was born in Tunisia and his mother in Morocco.[3]

Arrest, investigation and criminal charges

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Hogeg was arrested in November 2021 over alleged sex-crimes involving underage children and cryptocurrency-related fraud. Hogeg is suspected to have committed sodomy, human trafficking, committing an act of prostitution involving a minor, running a place of prostitution and several other charges pertaining to cryptocurrency fraud.[4] He was subsequently released on a $22 million bail bond to house arrest.[5] Following the arrest, Moshe's Ferrari was repossessed by the state of Israel and soon after publicly auctioned.[6][7][8]

In June 2022, the Israeli police announced their recommendation to the state attorney's office to charge Moshe Hogeg for a variety of criminal charges related to children including sodomy, human trafficking, committing an act of prostitution involving a minor, running a place of prostitution, providing drugs to underage kids, and several other charges related to cryptocurrency fraud.[9] [10]

In July 2022, Hogeg was re-arrested by the Israeli police for failing to fulfill his court ordered bail bond requirement. [11]

In August 2023, the Israeli National Fraud Investigations Unit (NAU) recommended to indict Hogeg for defrauding investors of $290m.[12]

Business ventures

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In 2010, Hogeg founded Mobli, which reportedly attracted numerous celebrity investors including Carlos Slim, Serena Williams, and Leonardo DiCaprio.[13] One investor was Kazakh businessman Kenges Rakishev; the two later founded a venture capital firm that became known as Singulariteam, which was one of the most active firms in Israel for a time.[13] In April 2014, he co-founded Yo app, the app was valued at between $5 and $10 million in July 2014.[14]

Hogeg became active in cryptocurrency, donating $1.9 million to Tel Aviv University for blockchain research and founding the Alignment Blockchain Hub. In 2017 and 2018, he led three initial coin offerings (ICOs) for his companies Sirin Labs, Stx Technologies Limited, and Leadcoin, raising over $250 million combined.[13] In June 2018, Hogeg purchased an acre of land in Kfar Shmaryahu, a suburb of Tel Aviv, for 70 million shekels (US$19.3 million).[15] Hogeg paid 15 percent of the purchase price in Bitcoin, believed to be the first real estate transaction in Israel conducted with the cryptocurrency.[15]

Hogeg has invested as well in several ventures including, Moonactive,[16][17] StoreDot[18][19] and Delek Group.[16]

Throughout his business career, Hogeg has faced lawsuits over his ventures from investors and former employees, including former members of Singulariteam.[20] Most were settled out of court with plaintiffs signing nondisclosure agreements.[20]

Tomi Cryptocurrency

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In September 2022, Hogeg launched the Tomi cryptocurrency project. In an interview with a local newspaper in Marrakesh, Hogeg identified himself as the CEO of Tomi and stated that all the founders invested $10 million from their private capital.[21] By 2024, the Tomi cryptocurrency lost nearly 97% from its peak value and market cap [22]

Beitar Jerusalem FC

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Hogeg was relatively unknown in Israeli football before he acquired Beitar.[23]

On July 15, 2021, Hogeg announced the cancellation of a planned match between Beitar and FC Barcelona, after Barcelona refused to hold the event in the disputed city of Jerusalem.[24] Hogeg said that he was "a proud Jew and Israeli" and could not "betray Jerusalem".[24] In August 2022, Hogeg sold Beitar Jerusalem to Barak Abramov.[25][26]

References

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  1. ^ Amit, Hagai (March 11, 2016). "An Israeli Startup Guru Who Doesn't Waste Time on Modesty". Haaretz. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Ron, Liat (October 14, 2014). "פורטפוליו משה חוגג". Globes (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Halbfinger, David M.; Rasgon, Adam (December 7, 2020). "Israeli Soccer Team, Infamous for Anti-Arab Fans, Has New Co-Owner: a Sheikh". The New York Times. Jerusalem. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Businessman Moshe Hogeg's sexual assault charges revealed".
  5. ^ Magid, Jacob (2021-12-14). "Hogeg freed to house arrest on $22 million bail in probe of sex crimes, crypto fraud". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  6. ^ "הפרארי ממכרז החילוט של המשטרה - יד שלישית ממשה חוגג | כלכליסט". calcalist (in Hebrew). 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  7. ^ "Court lifts gag on Moshe Hogeg sex charges, including underage prostitution offenses". The Times of Israel.
  8. ^ "Hogeg freed to house arrest on $22 million bail in probe of sex crimes, crypto fraud". The Times of Israel.
  9. ^ ""חדשות 13": המשטרה תמליץ על כתב אישום בתיק משה חוגג - וואלה! ספורט". 3 June 2022.
  10. ^ "המלצות המשטרה בתיק משה חוגג: אישום בצריכת זנות מקטינות | חדשות 13".
  11. ^ "Moshe Hogeg, suspected of massive fraud, rearrested for not paying bail". The Times of Israel.
  12. ^ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/wzn84hkpk
  13. ^ a b c Spiro, Amy (2021-11-21). "Alleged crypto scams, sex offenses, unpaid bills: The claims against Moshe Hogeg". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  14. ^ Shontell, Alyson. "An App That Just Says 'Yo' Has Raised $1.5 Million At A $5–10 Million Valuation". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  15. ^ a b Darel, Yael (June 20, 2018). "Tech Entrepreneur Makes Israel's First Real Estate Purchase With Bitcoin". Haaretz. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Hazani, Golan (2020-08-09). "Tech entrepreneur Moshe Hogeg pivots to the energy sector". CTECH - www.calcalistech.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  17. ^ "'Coin Master': How the Addictive, Controversial Israeli Game Raked in a Fortune". Haaretz. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  18. ^ "This Israeli Firm Promised to Reinvent the Battery. The World Is Still Waiting". Haaretz. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  19. ^ Dobrovitsky, Lital (2021-03-30). "Moshe Hogeg sues Samsung Ventures over nixed StoreDot shares deal". CTECH - www.calcalistech.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  20. ^ a b Weinglass, Simona (2021-05-31). "3 of Israel's most-hyped initial coin offerings were scams, ex-employees allege". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
  21. ^ https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/ryq7yzxvh
  22. ^ https://www.coincarp.com/currencies/tomi-com/
  23. ^ Capstick, Alex (December 20, 2019). "Beitar Jerusalem: How do you change 'the most racist' club in Israel?". BBC Sport. Jerusalem. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Dispute Over Jerusalem Scuttles Israeli Club's Soccer Match With Barcelona". Haaretz. July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "Can Barak Abramov save Israel's Beitar Jerusalem soccer club?". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  26. ^ staff, T. O. I. "Beitar soccer club sale finalized following last minute fund-raising from abroad". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
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