A Turkish court on Thursday arrested Sertaç Taşdelen, founder of the fortune-telling apps Faladdin and Binnaz, on charges of generating illicit income through digital fortune-telling services and transferring of part of the money abroad via his company Arteria Teknoloji AŞ.
The arrest decision, issued by the İstanbul 8th Criminal Court of Peace, cites findings from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and other agencies that suggest Taşdelen’s company operated a revenue-generating system based on divination services including coffee-cup readings, astrology and star chart interpretations.
According to the ruling, Taşdelen’s company served as a vehicle for laundering the proceeds, using formal accounting and tax declarations to legitimize income from services that prosecutors claim violate Turkish law. The judge also noted previous regulatory sanctions issued against the apps by advertising authorities.
The court concluded that Arteria Teknoloji’s accounts were used to transfer funds abroad. The ruling added that a prior indictment had already been filed against Taşdelen in March, and that the current arrest was based on expanding evidence of asset laundering.
Taşdelen was taken into custody on Wednesday during a police operation targeting two companies. Electronic devices and digital media were seized, including laptops, phones, memory drives and tablets. Authorities also froze his bank accounts, electronic money assets, vehicles, boats and shares in Arteria. The total value of seized property is estimated at 107.5 million Turkish lira (approximately $3.3 million).
In his statement to the court, Taşdelen denied all the allegations. He said he earns a monthly income of 150,000 Turkish lira and identified himself as a tech entrepreneur who brings in foreign currency and creates employment for Turkey.
“I am a patriotic person who supports my country. I developed these apps using artificial intelligence. I have no connection to faith healers, sorcery, fortune tellers or charms,” Taşdelen told the court, according to the official transcript. “I’ve even faced similar accusations in the past, and prosecutors declined to pursue charges. I don’t believe in fortune telling.”
Taşdelen emphasized that Faladdin is used in 120 countries and generates revenue in foreign currencies.
The apps he developed allow users to upload photos of Turkish coffee grounds, a method known as tasseography, and receive AI-generated or human-curated readings. Prosecutors say this constitutes organized fortune-telling activity and point to Law No. 677, which prohibits such services, as well as Article 158 of the Turkish Penal Code, which defines financial gain derived from exploiting spiritual or religious beliefs as “qualified fraud.”
Prosecutors are also investigating whether the apps’ operations fall under the category of founding and managing a criminal organization.