Aria DiMezzo, Unlicensed Money Transmitting, New Hampshire 2022

Keene Woman Pleads Guilty to Unlicensed Money Transferring

Aria DiMezzo, a 35-year-old woman from Keene, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in federal court, announced United States Attorney Jane E. Young.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between June 2020 and January 2021, DiMezzo operated a business through which she exchanged fiat currency (mostly United States dollars) for virtual currency for a fee. DiMezzo recruited customers on websites, including localbitcoins.com, who sent money to her through bank accounts opened in her name and in the name of the Reformed Satanic Church, an organization she created.

Dimei then sent customers bitcoin or other virtual currency in return. DiMezzo sold more than $1.5 million worth of virtual currency through the bank accounts that she operated as part of the business. DiMezzo did not register her business as a money transmitting business and she did not comply with any of the various regulations imposed on money transmitting businesses.

This included failing to file currency transaction reports for transactions over $10,000, or suspicious activity reports for transactions over $2,000 that may involve funds derived from illegal activity, among other things.

Aria DiMezzo is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, 2022.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team also assisted in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. MacDonald, John J. Kennedy, and Seth R. Aframe.

Aria DiMezzo, 35, of Keene, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. This is a serious offense that undermines the integrity of our financial system.

Dimei sold more than $1.5 million worth of virtual currency through the bank accounts that she operated as part of the business, and she failed to comply with various regulations imposed on money transmitting businesses.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/keene-woman-pleads-guilty-operating-unlicensed-money-transmitting-business