U.S. DOJ Captures 18 Fraudulent Crypto ATMs

• U.S. DOJ stated Law Enforcement seized 18 crypto ATMs. 
• Bitcoin ATM operator laundered $3M worth of cryptocurrencies.

The U.S. Department Of Justice (DOJ) proclaimed that law enforcement had seized 18 crypto ATMs in Texas and Oklahoma. These ATMs were obtained from the SBA fraudulent loans which got harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. And they were accustomed to buying bitcoin from the New York-based cryptocurrency exchange.

For this case, the U.S. Attorney’s officials announced that Charles Riley Constant, the founder of Coindawg got arrested for money laundering by the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

Unregulated Crypto ATMs Seized

On Thursday, U.S. DOJ declared that Constant laundered over $1M for the business titled ‘Coindawg LLC’ along with ‘Coindawg’s website’. The DOJ noted that the seven crypto ATMs utilized at the start of the year 2020 fall, from the harmed COVID-19 SBAs to generate revenue in order to expand the firm – with false identities. Constant also used the New York-based bitcoin exchange to distribute with his co-conspirators. 

Up to the minute, the cryptocurrency worth over $3 million along with 15% transaction charges laundered in the process. Meanwhile, he acquired $1M in SBA loans by laundering bitcoin through him and his followers. Hence, the U.S. regulator prisoned the Bitcoin ATM operator for the case. 

According to the records of Coin ATM Radar, 31,311 Bitcoin ATMs installed in the US. In 2023, there is a 4% decline in the count of Crypto ATMs in the world. One of the reasons for the decline might be the closure of such ATMs due to fraudulent activities.