Ex-Yutrade Analyst Sentenced to 22 Months for Multi-Million Shekel Fraud

Roi Kozin, the former chief analyst for the algorithmic trading company Yutrade, has been sentenced to 22 months in prison and fined 25,000 shekels as part of a plea deal. Kozin was convicted of aiding in obtaining benefits by fraud under aggravated circumstances, a scheme that defrauded approximately 600 clients out of 77 million shekels. Between 2012 and 2015, Kozin oversaw Yutrade's trading robot and had access to trading accounts, where he presented clients with false data regarding trading returns, knowing the actual company performance was misrepresented.

In 2015, when Yutrade faced difficulties returning client funds due to unauthorized use for operational expenses, Kozin assisted Yutrade's owner and manager, Aviv Talmor, in securing debt settlement agreements from dozens of clients. During these negotiations, Kozin falsely claimed that delays in fund returns were due to temporary technical issues, withholding crucial information about the company's dire financial state. Talmor was previously sentenced to five years in prison and a fine for his role in the fraud.

Kozin also facilitated the signing of agreements that promised clients "loss-protected accounts" if they refrained from withdrawing funds for 12 months, despite knowing this exposed their money to significant risk. He left Israel shortly after being investigated in 2016, and an indictment was filed against him and others in 2018. Following efforts to locate him, Kozin was arrested in Mexico in July 2025 based on extradition requests from Israeli authorities and was extradited to Israel in January 2026 to face charges.

As part of the plea agreement, a revised indictment was filed against Kozin. He pleaded guilty, and District Court Judge Dana Amir convicted him of the charges. The prosecution was handled by attorneys Nitzan Valkan, Dror Levy, and Hadar Kula from the Economic Crimes and Taxation Prosecutor's Office's Securities Department.