The Criminal Investigation Unit of the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has listed four crypto-related cases in the top ten of its “most prominent and high-profile investigations” in 2023.
In a notice dated December 11, the IRS unit Said There were four significant cases in 2023 that involved the seizure of cryptocurrencies, fraudulent practices, money laundering, and other schemes. Its third most high-profile investigation last year involved OneCoin co-founder Carl Sebastian Greenwood, who sentenced to 20 years in prison In September for his role in the marketing and sale of a fraudulent crypto asset.
In other cases, New Hampshire resident Ian Freeman was sentenced to 8 years in prison for operating a money laundering scheme using Bitcoin (B T c) kiosk and failed to pay taxes from 2016 to 2019. Government body was also behind one Investigating the oyster protocol Founder Amir Elmani, also known as “Bruno Block”, for tax evasion related to the creation and selling of Pearl tokens.
#2023top10
0️⃣8️⃣ Our Washington, DC team and partners exposed the scheme of “Bruno Block,” the founder of the cryptocoin “Oyster Pearl,” who secretly mined and sold Pearl tokens for his own profit. https://t.co/OItucmAcP3 pic.twitter.com/sxGuf9S9YE– IRS Criminal Investigation (@IRS_CI) 12 December 2023
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One of the oldest criminal cases to make the IRS list was the story of James Zhong, who was accused of stealing BTC from the Silk Road market in 2012. Zhong managed to hide his role in the crime from the authorities for almost ten years. raided his house In November 2021, the bulk of the crypto – worth more than $3 billion at the time – was found in a computer hidden in a floor safe and a popcorn tin.
In its annual report released on December 4, the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit said More than 2,676 cases were initiated In the 2023 fiscal year, that included more than $37 billion related to tax and financial crimes. Government department has More than $10 billion seized In cryptocurrency since 2015.
magazine: $3.4B Bitcoin in a Popcorn Tin: The Story of the Silk Road Hacker
