The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has indicted Taj Tarsha, founder of NFT startup Few and Far, on charges of securities fraud and wire fraud. According to reports from the DOJ, Tarsha, 34, of Miami, was arrested on June 6, 2026, and is accused of stealing more than $10 million raised to build a decentralized marketplace. The charges were announced on August 5, 2026, with each count carrying up to 20 years in prison. As per Deputy United States Attorney Sean S. Buckley, "As alleged, Taj Tarsha raised millions of dollars from investors by promising that their investments would be used to build a marketplace for non-fungible tokens, but he instead breached their trust by stealing those funds for his own personal benefit."
Tarsha began raising money in February 2022 using Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs), selling 95 million FAR tokens to at least 67 backers. As reported by the DOJ, this raised approximately $150,000 per investor at roughly 11 cents per token. The agreements described the offering as an investment that could constitute a security and limited U.S. participation to accredited investors under Regulation D. The pitch carried credibility as Few and Far operated on NEAR Protocol, with the NEAR Foundation announcing a grant and partnership in September 2022. According to prosecutors, the money was supposed to help build the marketplace, improve technology, and prepare the FAR token for launch.
According to the indictment, prosecutors allege that money began leaving the company almost immediately after the raise. Tarsha paid himself nearly $1 million through hidden bonuses, which he concealed from investors and a co-founder. He also drew what he privately called an unreasonable salary given the company's described zero revenue. The spending continued for 11 more months after an audit in June 2023, covering crypto purchases, a Miami condominium loan, interior design work, and his DJ hobby. As per the DOJ, Tarsha spent large amounts on online gambling and risky cryptocurrency investments, while keeping spending on personal costs for at least another year. The alleged misconduct was uncovered in a June 2023 audit, with prosecutors claiming Tarsha falsely told investors that bonuses were tied to token presale milestones. The indictment also claims Tarsha and another co-founder received $1.2 million in undisclosed bonuses, with the other co-founder returning $600,000 after the audit uncovered the payments.
FAR finally launched in May 2024, representing 27 months after the first investor paid in. As reported by the DOJ, the token opened near $0.13 before losing more than 99% of its value by the middle of 2025. The token launched on a single exchange that was not legally available to U.S. investors. According to prosecutors, Tarsha treated the launch as a legal formality rather than a genuine business milestone. In alleged conversations, he called the situation "just playing a game" with investors and responded "that would be hilarious" when an engineer suggested FAR might appreciate. The Few and Far website remains online, still advertising FAR as live on mainnet. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, with CoinDesk reporting that Tarsha has not responded to requests for comment.
