Faruk Fatih Özer, the founder of the now-defunct Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, has reportedly died in prison. The news, initially reported by Wu Blockchain citing Bloomberg, marks the end of a saga that saw Özer sentenced to a staggering 11,196 years in prison and fined $5 million. Özer's conviction stemmed from his misappropriation of approximately $2 billion in customer funds. Thodex abruptly halted trading in April 2021, leaving around 400,000 users unable to access their deposits. The incident sent shockwaves through the Turkish crypto market and triggered a massive investigation. The collapse of Thodex highlighted the risks associated with unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges and sparked calls for stricter regulatory oversight in Turkey. Özer's death brings a definitive close to this chapter but serves as a stark reminder of the potential for fraud within the cryptocurrency space. ```