He used the first Bitcoin exchange to disperse the dividend. Later shut down (I lost Bitcoin not with Pirateat40 but others who used the closure to steel.)
Pirateat40 launched at a time when Bitcoin had been in a steady decline for over 6 months.
Lots of people were looking for things to do with there static Bitcoin and this "investment" was wildly popular.
It was obvious to many it was a ponzi - $50,000 bets were take to prove it.
It eventually collapsed he was charged and found guilty and I think in prison.
For more info try searching.
I'm not sure he's in prison yet. I think whatever criminal or civil proceedings he's involved in are still ongoing. But, yeah, the TL;DR is: he ran a ponzi scheme with bitcoin. It eventually unraveled, and most people lost money. Then he got caught.
Yes but I have never heard what happened to the coins.