🌐 Richard Heart arrested in Istanbul: What are the charges?

👀 HEX and PulseChain founder Richard Heart has reportedly been detained in Istanbul on October 14, 2026, during a joint Turkish police and intelligence operation, with authorities reportedly seizing $4 million in cash and 64 luxury watches from his residence.

⚠️ Turkish newspaper Sözcü reported that officers detained Richard Heart, whose legal name is Richard James Schueler, at a property in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district. The operation reportedly involved Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, known as MİT, and Istanbul police, following earlier efforts to locate him. The reported detention follows a Finnish investigation into suspected tax fraud and an assault allegation. Heart previously faced a separate U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit involving more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency offerings, but that civil case ended in 2025.

🔗 According to Turkish accounts published Wednesday, investigators located Heart’s residence in Beşiktaş before carrying out an early morning operation. Officers reportedly recovered approximately $4 million in cash, 64 luxury watches, electronic equipment and firearms from the property. The reported inventory included mobile phones, laptop computers, graphics cards and other electronic devices. Another account described the recovery of drones and gold jewelry.