Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek confirmed on Saturday that Hex and PulseChain founder Richard Heart (legal name Richard James Schueler) was arrested in Istanbul on Wednesday. Police seized $7.15 million in cash, 6 cold wallets, 7 firearms, and 1,400 rounds of ammunition during related searches. Heart and his wife were detained in the Istanbul operation, followed by the arrest of three individuals identified as Heart's bodyguards. Gürlek stated that the operation was carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in cooperation with the city's police intelligence and financial crimes departments, with support from the Turkish intelligence agency MİT. The search also uncovered 160,000 Turkish Lira, 28 watches, 97 pieces of jewelry, 300 bags, and 19 graphics cards, as well as 9 vehicles registered in his wife's name. Gürlek linked Heart's red notice to a $1 billion crypto fraud case alleged by the United States and Finland, with Finnish authorities seeking his arrest for suspected aggravated tax evasion and assault. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)'s lawsuit against Heart was dismissed by a federal judge in February 2025 due to jurisdictional issues, and the agency decided not to refile the lawsuit in April of the same year.