How Mirror Trading International CEO Johann Steynberg got caught — and what happens next

Former Mirror Trading International (MTI) chief Johann Steynberg will likely face charges in Brazil for using forged identity documents and then be deported to South Africa.

Speaking to Record TV, Captain Jonathan Andrade of a special military police unit called Giro in the Brazilian state of Goiás said they arrested Steynberg after receiving a tip about a foreigner who was using a fake ID.

Andrade told the TV channel they initially didn’t know they were dealing with an internationally wanted criminal.

They placed Steynberg under surveillance after receiving the tip-off, and when their intelligence gathering capabilities were exhausted, Giro contacted the Brazilian Federal Police.

Using Giro’s intel, police confirmed the suspect was Johann Steynberg — a fugitive reportedly wanted by the FBI and Interpol.

MTI was a bitcoin-based investment scheme that Chainalysis named the biggest cryptocurrency scam of 2020.

It made headlines in September 2020 after MyBroadband exposed the inner workings of the scheme, thanks to a report from a group calling itself Anonymous ZA.

Steynberg went missing in December 2020, and the scheme collapsed. He was believed to be travelling in Brazil at the time.

Court documents gave the last estimate of the funds that flowed through MTI as 29,421.03379 bitcoin — R19.7 billion at current exchange rates.

A source with knowledge of the case has subsequently told MyBroadband that more than 46,000 bitcoin (almost R31 billion) flowed through the scheme.

In a joint operation on 29 December 2021 with the Brazilian Federal Police and Interpol, Giro arrested Steynberg. He allegedly presented his fake ID when the officers approached him.

When they searched his residence, police found another two false documents, two laptops, a cell phone, and six credit cards.

Andrade said that Steynberg originally lived under the radar at a modest hotel in São Paulo but later moved to Goiânia, the capital of Goiás, where he provided a luxurious lifestyle for his girlfriend.

Steynberg has a wife and children in South Africa, who he left behind in Polokwane when he fled the country in December 2020.

According to Andrade, Steynberg had bought a ring for his mistress worth 70,000 Brazilian reais — over R190,000 (South African rands).

Giro sent one of the two laptops, valued at 35,000 reais (over R95,000), to the Federal Police for processing.

Based on the photos Giro released, both laptops were MacBook Pros.

“We also know from other sources that he owns many other moveable assets… probably under fake names,” Andrade said in a separate interview.

Andrade stated that information from sources linked a jet and imported cars to Steynberg, and that this would be part of the Federal Police investigation.

“[On 29 December], he was sent to the Federal Police Station, and then other international institutions contacted us, like the FBI,” said Andrade.

“He will probably be charged in Brazil for using false documents, then the Federal Police will possibly send him for extradition.”

MyBroadband has learned that Steynberg will likely not have a full extradition hearing in Brazil, but will face charges for his alleged use of fake IDs and then be deported back to South Africa.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo told MyBroadband that they are working on bringing Steynberg to South Africa and are awaiting approval for an application for detention.

Thank you to Marina, Marcos, Julio, Nikki, and Rick for their help translating TV interviews with Giro squad captain Jonathan Andrade.

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