The IRS's criminal investigation unit highlighted four significant crypto-related cases among its top investigations in 2023, emphasising the growing intersection of cryptocurrency and law enforcement.
One of the most high-profile cases involved OneCoin co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, who received a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a fraudulent crypto scheme.
New Hampshire resident Ian Freeman was sentenced to 8 years for operating a money laundering scheme using Bitcoin kiosks and evading taxes between 2016 and 2019.
Oyster Protocol founder Amir Elmaani, aka "Bruno Block," faced charges of tax evasion linked to his activities with Pearl tokens.
The case of James Zhong, who stole Bitcoin from the Silk Road marketplace in 2012 and evaded capture for a decade, was also highlighted. Over $3 billion in crypto was recovered from his residence in 2021.