The United States Department of Justice has announced that three individuals associated with Forsage, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, have been indicted for their involvement in a $340 million cryptocurrency scheme.

The founders of Forsage, Lado Okhotnikov, Farkhad Akhmedov, and a third individual, who remains unidentified, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to defraud investors by promoting a cryptocurrency investment opportunity that was backed by Forsage's DeFi platform.

In a statement, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid said：

"The defendants allegedly used Forsage's DeFi platform as a tool to defraud investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. This indictment shows that the Department of Justice will use all the tools at its disposal to pursue those who engage in cryptocurrency fraud."

The charges against the defendants carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and money laundering.

The defendants have not yet entered a plea, and it is unclear whether they have legal representation at this time.