Brazilian authorities confirm Steynberg’s death, drop case

Brazilian authorities have confirmed Mirror Trading International CEO Johannes Steynberg’s death.

Subsequently, an
identity fraud related criminal case
against Steynberg have been dropped.

As
reported by Jan Vermeulen from MyBroadband
on August 15th;

A Brazilian federal judge has ordered criminal charges against Johann Steynberg dropped after a police investigation found reports about his death to be accurate.

The order, which MyBroadband has seen, was handed down by Judge Silvio Gemaque, who said that Steynberg’s death certificate was added to the case file.

In addition to identity fraud charges in Brazil, Steynberg (right) was in the middle of extradition proceedings initiated by South African authorities.

Steynberg
fled South Africa
following Mirror Trading International’s collapse in late 2020. He was then arrested in Brazil in January 2022.

US authorities secured a
$3.4 billion default judgment against Steynberg
in April 2023.

South African authorities have not publicly revealed details about their MTI criminal investigation.

This includes why MTI’s co-founders and suspected primary beneficiaries, Clynton Marks and Cheri Ward (right), remain at large in South Africa.

One might be tempted to sympathize with Steynberg, having died in a foreign country under house arrest of a bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism (a blood clot in the lungs).

It should be remembered thought that to get there;

Steynberg headed up a
$1.7 billion dollar Ponzi scheme
;

ditched his wife and child when MTI inevitably collapsed; and

spent the year prior to his arrest flying around in helicopters, living the high life on stolen investor funds and
banging a Brazilian mistress
(who he got pregnant)

Take out the financial fraud aspect and that’s not a bad way to spend the last year of your life as a free man.

To date neither South African or US authorities have publicly confirmed Steynberg’s death.

South African liquidation proceedings are ongoing, but to date have only really
financially benefited the liquidators themselves
.

That said, MTI’s liquidators did
initiate clawback litigation against US net-winners
earlier this year.

Clawback proceedings in South Africa, including against Clynton Marks, Cheri Ward and their accomplices,
were a mess
last we heard anything.

🤖 Quick Answer

What happened to Mirror Trading International CEO Johannes Steynberg?

Why were criminal charges against Steynberg dropped in Brazil?
Judge Silvio Gemaque ordered the criminal charges dismissed after a Brazilian police investigation determined that reports of Steynberg's death were accurate. The death certificate was formally entered into the case record, rendering further prosecution legally moot under Brazilian federal law.

What charges did Johannes Steynberg face in Brazil?
Steynberg faced identity fraud-related criminal charges filed by Brazilian federal authorities. Additionally, he was subject to extradition proceedings initiated by South African authorities in connection with the collapse of Mirror Trading

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