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Bitcoin ATM Operator Indicted in New York Allegedly Running Illegal Business Attracting Criminals

source-logo  cryptoknowmics.com 18 April 2022 03:04, UTC

Robert Taylor was indicted on Wednesday by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. for "running an illegal bitcoin ATM company that he marketed towards individuals engaged in criminal activities." The announcement shares:

“Taylor operated bitcoin kiosks in at least 46 locations in New York City, mostly in laundromats, as well as locations in New Jersey and Miami.”

The 35-year-old "changed more than $5.6 million of his customers' cash into bitcoin while charging a fee of between 10% and 20% between 2017 and 2018," according to the district attorney.

"Multiple counts of operating an unregistered money transmission business, criminal tax fraud in the third degree, and offering a fraudulent document for filing in the first degree," according to Taylor's charges.

Bragg defined, “Robert Taylor allegedly went to great lengths to keep his bitcoin kiosk business as secret as possible to attract a clientele that would pay top dollar for anonymity,” elaborating:

 “As the use of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin proliferate, they continue to attract a wide range of bad actors who are hoping to evade law enforcement.”

The announcement further notes:

“In total, the search warrants resulted in the recovery of $250,000 in cash from Taylor’s apartment, as well as 20 bitcoin ATMs containing $44,000 in cash.”

Between September 2017 and November 2018, more than $5.6 million in cash was deposited into Taylor's bitcoin ATMs, according to a forensic investigation. Fees were more than $590,000, with around $160,000 paid into Taylor's personal bank accounts. Taylor, on the other hand, only declared a $3,000 profit on his 2017 tax filings and a $140,000 loss on his 2018 tax returns. Furthermore, the New York State Department of Financial Services did not issue his business a money transmission licence or a virtual currency business licence (Bitlicense) (DFS). It is also not licenced by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the United States Department of Treasury (FinCEN).

cryptoknowmics.com