Two North Macedonians have been indicted in the Southern District of New York for running an online scam designed around fake products called “Trump Bucks.” The products were sold to US buyers as allies of former President Donald Trump, with the promise that they could eventually be redeemed for higher payments.
They could not. The products were worthless.
Order and price
Stamenko Stankovic and Stojan Stankovic are facing fraud charges in what prosecutors describe as a deliberate campaign to trick consumers into thinking they are buying legitimate financial instruments. Prosecutors say they marketed the items as personal collectibles, leading victims to believe they had valuable, redeemable items.
According to the charges, the operation also falsely claimed approval from major banks, adding to the legitimacy of the scheme.
The operation reportedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims of the accident in the United States.
Although the name “Trump Bucks” seems like it could be a memecoin or a digital token, there is no evidence that this was the creation of any kind of chain. This was a physical collection, no chain, no blockchain, no smart contract, nothing fixed.
Those who were injured
Critics point out that the attack targeted older people who were Trump’s biggest supporters. The defendants allegedly used that trust to wrap their assets around political credibility, creating leverage where questioning the legitimacy of Trump Bucks would have sounded, to the victims, like questioning the President himself.
The Department of Justice pursues radio fraud cases now with extensive powers. Wire fraud convictions can result in up to 20 years in federal prison for each count.
A growing system of political fraud
Legal entities associated with Trump have included digital trading cards and, most recently, the $TRUMP memecoin that was launched in January 2025. The existence of real digital products associated with Trump makes it easier for fraudsters to muddy the waters, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish the work from drugs that claim to be similar.
Stankovic’s critics say he worked in this position without technical experts or economists, relying on the kind of politics that millions of Americans already believed in.
What does this mean for investors?
The DOJ’s decision to prosecute foreign nationals operating from North Macedonia shows a willingness to pursue cross-border fraud cases brought by US victims. If prosecutors can get to North Macedonia for an integrated scam, the process of deporting foreign crypto scammers may be lower than some think.
