- The head of the Reformed Church of Satan was tried in the United States
- She was given 1.5 years for illegal exchange of BTC
US District Court sentenced founder of the Reformed Church of Satan to a year and a half in prison. The woman encroached on the sacred – she carried out an illegal exchange of cryptocurrencies.
Aria DiMezzo was engaged in the exchange of fiat currencies for bitcoins from June 2020 to January 2021. She was looking for clients on various sites, including a P2P exchange. LocalBitcoins.
Customers made wire transfers to her own account as well as to the bank account of the Reformed Church of Satan. In return, DiMezzo sent them bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, charging a fee for this.
Thus, the woman exchanged digital assets worth more than $3 million. The accused did not report this fact to the regulators, despite the fact that the transactions exceeded $10,000 (this is the limit after which you need to report to the tax office).
DiMezzo was paired with an accomplice, Ian Freeman. She gave him a percentage of sales for attracted customers. Freeman received similar allegations in 2021. He was later found guilty of conspiracy to launder money, unauthorized money transfers and tax evasion. Freeman’s sentencing is expected on July 17, 2023.
Judge Joseph LaPlante sentenced Aria DiMezzo to 18 months in prison, a year of parole and a $5,000 fine. He also ordered 1.93 BTC and $14,000 to be confiscated from the Church of Satan.