Two Keene Residents Charged In Superseding Indictment With Additional Charges Related to Virtual Currency Exchange Business
2022-04-27 · Press release
CONCORD – A federal grand jury returned a 33-count superseding indictment on Monday charging Ian Freeman, 41, and Aria DiMezzo, 35, both of Keene, with a variety of financial and fraud crimes, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to the superseding indictment, Freeman, DiMezzo, and others operated a business that enabled customers to exchange fiat currency for virtual currency. The superseding indictment alleges that the unlicensed business violated federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Among other things, the superseding indictment alleges that the defendants opened bank accounts at financial institutions while deceiving financial institutions about the nature of the business being transacted through the accounts. The superseding indictment alleges that some of the transactions conducted by Freeman facilitated the transfer of the proceeds of scams, such as “romance scams.”
Freeman and DiMezzo are charged with participating in a conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Freeman also is charged with: (1) operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud; (3) twelve counts of wire fraud; (4) four counts of money laundering; (5) conspiracy to commit money laundering: (6) four counts of attempting to evade taxes; and (7) operating a financial crimes enterprise.
DiMezzo also is charged with (1) operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) four counts of wire fraud; and (3) three counts of money laundering.
Freeman and DiMezzo, along with four others, were previously arrested on March 16, 2021.
Three co-defendants, Nobody F/K/A Richard Paul, of Keene, and Andrew and Renee Spinella of Derry, have pleaded guilty. The government has moved to dismiss the charges against the fourth co-defendant without prejudice.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in coordination with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. MacDonald, Seth R. Aframe, and John Kennedy.
The charges in the superseding indictment are only allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/two-keene-residents-charged-superseding-indictment-additional-charges-related-virtual
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1723 | Ian Freeman | defendant | Keene | 41 | indicted | |||
| 1724 | Aria DiMezzo | defendant | Keene | 35 | indicted | |||
| 1725 | John J. Farley | prosecutor | United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1726 | Nobody (a/k/a Richard Paul) | co-defendant | Keene | pleaded guilty | ||||
| 1727 | Andrew Spinella | co-defendant | Derry | pleaded guilty | ||||
| 1728 | Renee Spinella | co-defendant | Derry | pleaded guilty | ||||
| 1729 | Georgiana L. MacDonald | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1730 | Seth R. Aframe | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire | |||
| 1731 | John Kennedy | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | New Hampshire |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1090 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | Investigated the case | ||
| 1091 | Internal Revenue Service | IRS | investigation | Investigated the case | ||
| 1092 | United States Postal Inspection Service | USPIS | investigation | Investigated the case | ||
| 1093 | Financial Crimes Enforcement Network | FinCEN | coordination | Coordinated with investigating agencies | ||
| 1094 | United States Attorney's Office | prosecution | Georgiana L. MacDonald, Seth R. Aframe, John Kennedy | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 880 | conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 881 | twelve counts of wire fraud | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 882 | four counts of money laundering | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 883 | conspiracy to commit money laundering | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 884 | four counts of attempting to evade taxes | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 885 | operating a financial crimes enterprise | Ian Freeman | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 886 | four counts of wire fraud | Aria DiMezzo | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 887 | three counts of money laundering | Aria DiMezzo | indicted | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 878 | participating in a conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business | Ian Freeman and Aria DiMezzo | indicted | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||
| 879 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | Ian Freeman and Aria DiMezzo | indicted | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||
| 2802 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud; (3) twelve counts of wire fraud; | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2803 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) four counts of wire fraud; and (3) three counts of money laundering | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2804 | operate an unlicensed money transmitting business | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2805 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud; (3) twelve counts of wi | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2806 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) four counts of wire fraud; and (3) three counts of money launderi | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2807 | unlicensed money transmitting business | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2808 | unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) conspiracy to commit wire and bank | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2809 | unlicensed money transmitting business; (2) four counts of wire fraud; and (3) | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 608 |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 223 | financial institution | financial institutions deceived about the nature of business transactions | deceived regarding business transactions conducted through their accounts, violating anti-money laundering laws | ||||
| 224 | individual | victims of scams such as 'romance scams' | had scam proceeds transferred through defendants' unlicensed virtual currency exchange business |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 295 | A federal grand jury returned a 33-count superseding indictment on Monday charging Ian Freeman, 41, and Aria DiMezzo, 35, both of Keene, with a variety of financial and fraud crimes | John J. Farley | United States Attorney | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Official announcement of the indictment | Formal announcement of charges by the prosecuting authority |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1082 | Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | The defendants operated an unlicensed business enabling customers to exchange fiat currency for virtual currency, violating federal anti-money laundering laws. | Central to the charges, forming the basis of their illegal operations and violations of financial regulations. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | Recent development | Law enforcement, Financial institutions, Defendants |
| 1083 | Money Laundering | The defendants facilitated the transfer of proceeds from scams, including romance scams, through their business. | Key part of the charges, highlighting the illegal movement of illicit funds. | 18 U.S.C. § 1956, 18 U.S.C. § 1957 | National | Recent development | Law enforcement, Financial institutions, Victims |
| 1084 | Wire Fraud | The defendants engaged in wire fraud through scams like romance scams, deceiving victims via electronic communications. | Directly involved in defrauding individuals, causing financial harm. | 18 U.S.C. § 1343 | National | Recent development | Victims, Law enforcement, Financial institutions |
| 1085 | Tax Evasion | Freeman attempted to evade federal taxes related to the business operations. | Undermined tax compliance and hid illicit gains. | 26 U.S.C. § 7201 | National | Recent development | IRS, Tax authorities, Law enforcement |
| 1086 | Operating a Financial Crimes Enterprise | The defendants ran an organized enterprise engaged in multiple financial crimes. | Demonstrates systemic criminal activity and coordination among participants. | National | Recent development | Law enforcement, Regulatory agencies |
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