The IRS’s Criminal Investigation unit revealed its top cases of 2023, spotlighting four major instances involving cryptocurrency-related offenses. Chief Jim Lee underscored successful crackdowns on global tax schemes, multi-level marketing linked to crypto, and uncovering a historic fraud around renewable fuel credits.
Among these cases, the list featured “Bruno Block,” aka Amir Bruno Elmaani, the Oyster Pearl crypto founder, sentenced to four years for evading taxes despite lavish spending. Another notable case was James Zhong, involved in Silk Road, where $3.4 billion in crypto was seized post the darknet marketplace’s shutdown.
Securing the fourth spot was Ian Freeman, sentenced to eight years for running a bitcoin money laundering operation in New Hampshire, washing $10 million from online scams. The list’s third position went to Karl Sebastian Greenwood, co-founder of OneCoin, convicted for orchestrating a $4 billion scam and facing 20 years in prison plus hefty restitution.