United States authorities have indicted Chicago-based crypto ATM operator Virtual Assets LLC and its founder, Firas Isa, with money laundering charges involving fraud and narcotics proceeds.
Summary

• Virtual Assets LLC and its CEO, Firas Isa, have been indicted for allegedly laundering $10 million in proceeds tied to fraud and narcotics.
• Prosecutors claim Isa used crypto ATMs to convert illicit funds into cryptocurrency and obscure their origin.

Isa and his firm operated Crypto Dispensers, a company whose core business involved offering cash-to-cryptocurrency conversion services throughout the U.S., according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

While operating a crypto ATM is not illegal within the country, prosecutors claim Isa knowingly moved at least $10 million worth of criminal proceeds through his exchange business after receiving funds from parties tied to illicit sources.

“After the proceeds were sent, Isa converted or caused to be converted the cryptocurrency and thereafter transferred the cryptocurrency to virtual wallets to disguise the true source and ownership of the proceeds,” the DOJ said.

Isa and Virtual Assets LLC have pleaded not guilty to the charges, but if convicted, both he and the company could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Crypto ATMs are kiosks that facilitate the purchase or sale of digital assets using cash, but their easy accessibility across public places and minimal verification requirements make them a prime tool for scammers and bad actors, who often compel victims to use them for transfers to leverage the inherent anonymity and speed of cryptocurrencies.

As a result of the misuse, many states within the U.S., which houses the vast majority of these machines in the world, and jurisdictions across the globe have moved to impose strict oversight, and in some areas, crypto ATMs have been completely banned.

U.S. cracks down on crypto crime

Isa’s indictment follows a series of similar enforcement actions from federal authorities in recent years to curb crypto-linked financial crimes.

Late last year, federal prosecutors in Boston indicted Aleksei Andriunin, founder of market-making firm Gotbit, on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation. During the same month, nine individuals were indicted for their connection to a vast crypto-powered money laundering network that allegedly held ties to international drug cartels.