Houston area unlicensed cryptocurrency business results in conviction
2022-06-01 · Press release
Mentions 1960 Crypto Verified 1960
Summary: A 49-year-old out-of-state man has pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money transmitting business
HOUSTON – A 49-year-old out-of-state man has pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money transmitting business, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Hien Ngoc Vo, Seattle, Washington, admitted that between March 16, 2016, and June 8, 2016, he operated a prohibited cryptocurrency business in the Houston area.
Vo used Paxful and LocalBitcoins to buy and sell Bitcoin - websites where people can buy and sell cryptocurrencies. He profited from sales by collecting a percentage of the transactions which ranged from 5-30%. During the transactions, Vo did not ask clients for any form of identification nor the purpose for which they were purchasing the cryptocurrency.
Vo received funds in the form of cash, direct bank deposits, American Express credit cards as well as Amazon and generic gift cards. He used several bank accounts to conduct his business, but the banks shut down the accounts after inquiring about the origination of the funds.
During the course of three months, the unlicensed money transmitting business received and transmitted approximately $515,147.19 in Bitcoin.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal will impose sentencing Sept. 5. At that time, Vo faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rodolfo Ramirez is prosecuting the case.
- district_office
- Southern District of Texas
- usa_name
- Jennifer B. Lowery
- event_type
- plea
- judge_name
- Lee H. Rosenthal
- judge_title
- Chief U.S. District Judge
- case_number
- max_penalty_text
- up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine
- sentence_summary
- money_amounts
- $515,147.19, $250,000
- crypto_assets
- BTC
- statutes_json
- timeline_json
- press_release_url
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-area-unlicensed-cryptocurrency-business-results-conviction
- extras_json
| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1708 | Hien Ngoc Vo | defendant | Seattle, Washington | 49 | pleaded guilty | |||
| 1709 | Jennifer B. Lowery | prosecutor | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Houston | |||
| 1710 | Lee H. Rosenthal | judge | Chief U.S. District Judge | U.S. District Court | Houston | |||
| 1711 | Rodolfo Ramirez | prosecutor | Assistant U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Houston |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1081 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | conducted the investigation | ||
| 1082 | U.S. Attorney's Office | USAO | prosecution | Rodolfo Ramirez | prosecuting the case |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 | running an unlicensed money transmitting business | five years in federal prison | $250,000 | Hien Ngoc Vo | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||
| 2796 | unlicensed money transmitting business, announced U | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2797 | unlicensed money transmitting business received and transmitted approximately | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | fine | $250,000 | USD | maximum fine | cash | Hien Ngoc Vo | pending |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 228 |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 292 | A 49-year-old out-of-state man has pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money transmitting business | Jennifer B. Lowery | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Announcing the guilty plea in the press release | Official confirmation of the defendant's guilty plea to operating an unlicensed cryptocurrency business |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1069 | Federal Prosecution and Sentencing | The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's office, with sentencing scheduled for September 5, facing up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. | Highlights federal involvement and the potential penalties under federal law for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | Recent development (sentencing upcoming) | U.S. Attorney, FBI, Defendant, Judge |
CourtListener / RECAP
Linked dockets
- CL #59940526 4:21-cr-00281 (txsd)
Documents
| Entry | Description | OCR | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| #43 desc | Sealed Event, filed. (With attachments) (Entered: 11/30/2022) | none | none |
| #42 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 12/1/2022 at 11:30 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. NOTE: The change is to TIME only. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 11/28/2022) | none | none |
| #41 desc | Sealed Event, filed. (Entered: 10/28/2022) | none | none |
| #40 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 12/1/2022 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 10/14/2022) | none | none |
| #39 desc | ORDER entered as to Hien Ngo Vo: GRANTING 38 Unopposed MOTION to Continue Sentencing . Sentencing reset for 11/4/2022 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal. ( Signed by Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal) Parties notified. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 09/26/2022) | none | none |
| #38 desc | Unopposed MOTION to Continue Sentencing by Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order)(Hester, John) (Entered: 09/26/2022) | none | none |
| #37 desc | Second Sealed Addendum to 33 Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (skearns, 4) (Entered: 09/07/2022) | none | none |
| #36 desc | Statement of No Objections to PSR (Sealed) by USA as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #33 desc | Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #34 desc | Sealed Addendum to 33 Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #35 desc | Confidential Sentencing Recommendation(Sealed) regarding Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #31 desc | ORDER entered ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION - Guilty Plea as to Hien Ngo Vo re: 28 Report and Recommendation - Guilty Plea. ( Signed by Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal) Parties notified. (leddins, 4) (leddins, 4). (Entered: 08/24/2022) | none | none |
| #32 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 10/3/2022 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. NOTE: Reset is based on this court's trial docket. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 08/24/2022) | none | none |
| #30 desc | Attorney Only Document (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo. NOTICE: Document available to applicable parties only. Authorized users enter CM/ECF Filer login and password first for authentication. Be sure to SAVE the attached documents locally at the time of viewing. (Main Doc: Initial PSR) (Attachments: # 1 Sentencing Recommendation) (cshoemaker, 4) (Entered: 08/08/2022) | none | none |
| #29 desc | PLEA AGREEMENT as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (sjones, 4) (Entered: 06/08/2022) | none | none |
| #29 desc | PLEA AGREEMENT as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (sjones, 4) (Entered: 06/08/2022) | none | none |
| #30 desc | Attorney Only Document (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo. NOTICE: Document available to applicable parties only. Authorized users enter CM/ECF Filer login and password first for authentication. Be sure to SAVE the attached documents locally at the time of viewing. (Main Doc: Initial PSR) (Attachments: # 1 Sentencing Recommendation) (cshoemaker, 4) (Entered: 08/08/2022) | none | none |
| #32 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 10/3/2022 at 10:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. NOTE: Reset is based on this court's trial docket. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 08/24/2022) | none | none |
| #31 desc | ORDER entered ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION - Guilty Plea as to Hien Ngo Vo re: 28 Report and Recommendation - Guilty Plea. ( Signed by Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal) Parties notified. (leddins, 4) (leddins, 4). (Entered: 08/24/2022) | none | none |
| #35 desc | Confidential Sentencing Recommendation(Sealed) regarding Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #34 desc | Sealed Addendum to 33 Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #33 desc | Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (MelissaDiaz, 4) (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #36 desc | Statement of No Objections to PSR (Sealed) by USA as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (Entered: 09/01/2022) | none | none |
| #37 desc | Second Sealed Addendum to 33 Final Presentence Investigation Report (Sealed) as to Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (skearns, 4) (Entered: 09/07/2022) | none | none |
| #38 desc | Unopposed MOTION to Continue Sentencing by Hien Ngo Vo, filed. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order)(Hester, John) (Entered: 09/26/2022) | none | none |
| #39 desc | ORDER entered as to Hien Ngo Vo: GRANTING 38 Unopposed MOTION to Continue Sentencing . Sentencing reset for 11/4/2022 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal. ( Signed by Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal) Parties notified. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 09/26/2022) | none | none |
| #40 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 12/1/2022 at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 10/14/2022) | none | none |
| #41 desc | Sealed Event, filed. (Entered: 10/28/2022) | none | none |
| #42 desc | NOTICE OF RESETTING as to Hien Ngo Vo. Sentencing reset for 12/1/2022 at 11:30 AM in Courtroom 11B before Chief Judge Lee H Rosenthal, filed. NOTE: The change is to TIME only. (leddins, 4) (Entered: 11/28/2022) | none | none |
| #43 desc | Sealed Event, filed. (With attachments) (Entered: 11/30/2022) | none | none |
| 219063121 desc | Sentencing | none | none |
| #46 desc | Statement of Reasons (Sealed) | none | none |
| #45 desc | Judgment and Commitment (AO 245) | none | none |
| #48 desc | Notice of Transfer Out of District (FORM) | none | none |
| #47 desc | Transfer Out/Probationer | none | none |
Extracted people
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