- The last member of the ‘crypto six’ crypto laundering gang has been found guilty of multiple financial crimes
- Ian Freeman was the only one of the six to plead not laundering money through bitcoin for online scammers
- Ironically given his name, Freeman is set to spend decades behind bars when he is sentenced
The last remaining member of the so-called ‘Crypto Six’ has been found guilty of helping online scammers launder their funds using Bitcoin. Ian Freeman, a libertarian activist and the co-host of the radio broadcast Free Talk Live, was the only one of the six arrested in March last year on suspicion of helping the scammers hide their ill-gotten gains through the cryptocurrency. The other five members all took plea deals but Freeman pleaded not guilty, a plan which ended in disaster when he was found guilty on multiple counts.
$10 Million Laundered Through Bitcoin
Freeman was arrested along with his five cohorts last year when the FBI raided several properties in Keene, New Hampshire associated with the members of the liberty-minded Free Keene movement. It was alleged that since 2016 the gang had operated a business that enabled its customers to exchange over $10 million in illegally obtained fiat currency for virtual currency, operating it online and through the running of Bitcoin ATM machines in New Hampshire.
Freeman was charged with money laundering, conspiracy to launder money, operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, and four counts of tax evasion. The other five members of the gang, having realized that the writing was on the wall, took plea deals and got lighter sentences as a result. Freeman chose to fight his corner, and this week was found guilty on all counts.
Freeman Not So Free After All
Joseph Bonavolonta, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, summarized the case after the guilty verdict came through:
Today’s verdict proves Ian Freeman operated a large-scale multi-million-dollar virtual currency business under the guise of a religious organization receiving charitable contributions that broke numerous laws to evade detection. As a member of this criminal conspiracy, Mr. Freeman took advantage of the emotions and bank accounts of unwitting victims to line his own pockets.
Freeman was not taken into custody following the verdict but was remanded to appear in court on April 14, 2023 for sentencing, where, ironically given his name, he faces decades behind bars.
