Keene Woman Pleads Guilty to Operating An Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business
2022-09-12 · Press release
CONCORD – Aria DiMezzo, 35, of Keene, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between June 2020 and January 2021, DiMezzo operated a business in New Hampshire 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. DiMezzo 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. For example, at no time did DiMezzo 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.
DiMezzo is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, 2022.
This matter was investigated 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.
###
- district_office
- usa_name
- event_type
- judge_name
- judge_title
- case_number
- max_penalty_text
- sentence_summary
- money_amounts
- crypto_assets
- statutes_json
- timeline_json
- press_release_url
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/keene-woman-pleads-guilty-operating-unlicensed-money-transmitting-business
- extras_json
| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1654 | Aria DiMezzo | defendant | Reformed Satanic Church | Keene, New Hampshire | 35 | pleaded guilty | ||
| 1655 | Jane E. Young | prosecutor | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1656 | Georgiana L. MacDonald | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1657 | John J. Kennedy | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1658 | Seth R. Aframe | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1034 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | Investigated the case. | ||
| 1035 | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | investigation | Investigated the case. | ||
| 1036 | United States Postal Inspection Service | USPIS | investigation | Investigated the case. | ||
| 1037 | U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network | FinCEN | investigation | Coordinated with other agencies in the investigation. | ||
| 1038 | National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team | NCET | investigation | Assisted in the investigation. | ||
| 1039 | United States Attorney's Office | USAO | prosecution | District of New Hampshire | Georgiana L. MacDonald, John J. Kennedy, Seth R. Aframe | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 833 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | Aria DiMezzo | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||
| 2768 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, United States Attorney Jane E | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2769 | unlicensed money transmitting business, United States Attorney Jane E | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 281 | Aria DiMezzo |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 292 |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 274 | Aria DiMezzo, 35, of Keene, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | Jane E. Young | United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | statement | Announcement of guilty plea | Official acknowledgment of defendant's guilty plea to the charged offense |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1017 | Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | Aria DiMezzo operated a business exchanging fiat currency for virtual currency without proper licensing or regulatory compliance. | Central offense leading to guilty plea, highlighting evasion of financial regulations. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | June 2020 to January 2021 | Law enforcement, Financial institutions, Regulatory agencies |
| 1018 | Cryptocurrency | Virtual currencies like Bitcoin were used to facilitate transactions through unlicensed operations. | Core medium of illicit financial activity in the case. | International | Recent development (2020-2021) | Customers, Cryptocurrency platforms, Regulatory bodies | |
| 1019 | Non-Compliance with Regulatory Reporting Requirements | DiMezzo failed to file currency transaction reports (CTR) and suspicious activity reports (SAR). | Demonstrates intentional evasion of anti-money laundering (AML) obligations. | 31 U.S.C. § 5313, 31 U.S.C. § 5318(g) | National | June 2020 to January 2021 | Regulatory agencies, Financial institutions, Law enforcement |
| 1020 | Law Enforcement Collaboration | Multiple federal agencies collaborated, including FBI, IRS, USPS, and FinCEN. | Highlights coordinated efforts to combat financial crimes involving cryptocurrency. | National | Investigation period (2020-2022) | Federal investigative agencies, Prosecutors, Regulatory networks |
CourtListener / RECAP
No linked CourtListener docket yet.