He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. The former CEO of the company that marketed the sketchy-looking Escobar Fold 1 and Escobar Fold 2 phones — which you may remember from a 2020 video from Marques Brownlee — has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering, according to the US Department of Justice. Escobar Inc. also sold a $500 “Escobar Flamethrower” that was “modeled after” The Boring Company’s Not-A-Flamethrower, the $500 “Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone” that was “marketed as a refurbished Apple iPhone 11 Pro,” and Escobar Cash that was “marketed as the world’s first ‘physical cryptocurrency,’” according to the plea agreement. Instead of sending products to paying customers, Gustafsson mailed them a “‘Certificate of Ownership,’ a book, or other Escobar Inc. promotional materials” to create a mailing record, the DOJ says in its press release. Gustafsson must also pay as much as $1.3 million in restitution.