Durham, N.C. Man Admits To Operating An Unlicensed Cryptocurrency Business And Related Tax Charges
2022-07-12 · Press release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jayton Gill, 34, of Durham, N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today and pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and willful failure to file a tax return, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and today’s plea hearing, from at least 2015 to February 2021, Gill operated an unlicensed money transmitting business involving the exchange of millions of dollars of cash and other monetary instruments for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Monero. During the relevant time, Gill conducted thousands of transactions involving thousands of Bitcoins. As Gill admitted in court today, he advertised his unlicensed money transmitting business on various public websites and made claims on one such website that he had conducted more than 4,200 transactions with 2,700 different parties. Gill also conducted unlicensed money transactions in person and via the U.S. Postal Service.
Gill further admitted that he failed to file U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns for tax years 2015 through 2019, despite earning significant income from his unlicensed money transmitting business and from investing in cryptocurrency.
Gill was released on bond following his guilty plea. The charge of operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for willful failure to file a tax return is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The FBI and IRS-CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
- 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-wdnc/pr/durham-nc-man-admits-operating-unlicensed-cryptocurrency-business-and-related-tax
- extras_json
| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1682 | Jayton Gill | defendant | Durham, N.C. | 34 | pleaded guilty | |||
| 1683 | David C. Keesler | judge | U.S. Magistrate Judge | U.S. District Court | North Carolina | |||
| 1684 | Dena J. King | prosecutor | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina | North Carolina | |||
| 1685 | Robert R. Wells | investigator | Special Agent in Charge | FBI | North Carolina | |||
| 1686 | Donald “Trey” Eakins | investigator | Special Agent in Charge | IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) | North Carolina | |||
| 1687 | Daniel Ryan | prosecutor | Assistant U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte | North Carolina |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1056 | U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina | prosecution | Western District of North Carolina | Dena J. King, Daniel Ryan | Prosecuted the case and announced the guilty plea | |
| 1057 | Federal Bureau of Investigation | FBI | investigation | North Carolina | Robert R. Wells | Investigated the case |
| 1058 | Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation | IRS-CI | investigation | Charlotte Field Office | Donald “Trey” Eakins | Investigated 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 858 | Willful failure to file a tax return | one year in prison | $100,000 | Jayton Gill | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment | |||||||
| 857 | Operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | five years in prison | $250,000 | Jayton Gill | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||
| 2781 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and willful failure to file a tax return, announced Dena J | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2782 | operated an unlicensed money transmitting business involving the exchange of millions of dollars of cash and other moneta | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2783 | unlicensed money transmitting business and willful failure to file a tax retur | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2784 | unlicensed money transmitting business involving the exchange of millions of d | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2785 | unlicensed money transmitting business on various public websites and made cla | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2786 | unlicensed money transmitting business and from investing in cryptocurrency | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 2787 | unlicensed money transmitting business carries a maximum penalty of five years | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:45:57+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 293 | fine | $250,000 | USD | Fine for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | cash | Jayton Gill | pending |
| 294 | fine | $100,000 | USD | Fine for willful failure to file tax returns | cash | Jayton Gill | pending |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 386 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 284 | he advertised his unlicensed money transmitting business on various public websites and made claims on one such website that he had conducted more than 4,200 transactions with 2,700 different parties | Jayton Gill | admission | during his guilty plea at the court hearing | Establishes scale of illicit cryptocurrency operations and intentional evasion of financial regulations | ||
| 285 | he failed to file U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns for tax years 2015 through 2019, despite earning significant income from his unlicensed money transmitting business and from investing in cryptocurrency | Jayton Gill | admission | during his guilty plea at the court hearing | Confirms tax evasion charges and ties unreported income to illicit activities |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1042 | Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | Gill operated an unlicensed business exchanging cash and monetary instruments for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero from 2015 to 2021, using websites, in-person transactions, and the U.S. Postal Service. | Violated federal law by operating without a license, enabling illicit financial activities and tax evasion. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | National | Historical trend | Law enforcement, Defendant |
| 1043 | Cryptocurrency Use | Gill utilized cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Monero) to facilitate money transmission, leveraging their anonymity and digital nature. | Enabled covert transactions, complicating financial tracking and regulatory compliance. | National | Historical trend | Law enforcement, Defendant | |
| 1044 | Tax Evasion/Willful Failure to File Tax Returns | Gill failed to file federal tax returns from 2015 to 2019 despite earning significant income from his unlicensed business and cryptocurrency investments. | Undermined tax compliance and deprived the government of revenue. | 26 U.S.C. § 7203 | National | Historical trend | IRS, Defendant |
| 1045 | Law Enforcement Collaboration | The FBI and IRS-CI collaborated to investigate Gill’s activities, demonstrating coordinated federal efforts. | Highlighting interagency cooperation in combating financial crimes. | National | Historical trend | FBI, IRS-CI |
CourtListener / RECAP
Linked dockets
- CL #63392875 3:22-cr-00149 (ncwd) Weak match
Documents
| Entry | Description | OCR | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| #43 desc | ORDER granting Defendant's 42 Motion to Seal Document No. 41 as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by US Magistrate Judge David Keesler on 1/29/24. (mga) | none | none |
| #38 desc | ORDER granting Defendant's 37 Motion to Seal Document No. 36 as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by US Magistrate Judge David Keesler on 1/17/24. (mga) | none | none |
| #30 desc | JUDGMENT as to Jayton Gill (1), Count(s) 1, 2, 21 Months Imprisonment on Count One. 12 Months Imprisonment on Count Two, to be served concurrently. 1 Year Supervised Release, $125 Special Assessment. Signed by Senior District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr on 07/26/2023. (mdp) Modified on 7/26/2023 (mdp). | none | none |
| #29 desc | PRELIMINARY ORDER OF FORFEITURE (NUNC PRO TUNC) as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by Senior District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr on 7/25/2023. (brl) | none | none |
| #29 | PRELIMINARY ORDER OF FORFEITURE (NUNC PRO TUNC) as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by Senior District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr on 7/25/2023. (brl) | none | done |
| #30 | JUDGMENT as to Jayton Gill (1), Count(s) 1, 2, 21 Months Imprisonment on Count One. 12 Months Imprisonment on Count Two, to be served concurrently. 1 Year Supervised Release, $125 Special Assessment. Signed by Senior District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr on 07/26/2023. (mdp) Modified on 7/26/2023 (mdp). | none | done |
| #31 desc | Statement of Reasons | none | none |
| #32 desc | Notice (Other) | none | none |
| #33 desc | Notice Regarding Passport | none | none |
| #34 desc | Notice (Other) | none | none |
| #37 desc | Motion to Seal Document | none | none |
| #36 desc | Sealed Motion | none | none |
| #35 desc | Notice of Attorney Appearance - Defendant | none | none |
| #38 | ORDER granting Defendant's 37 Motion to Seal Document No. 36 as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by US Magistrate Judge David Keesler on 1/17/24. (mga) | none | done |
| #39 desc | Sealed Response to Motion | none | none |
| #40 desc | Notice of Attorney Appearance - USA | none | none |
| #42 desc | Motion to Seal Document | none | none |
| #41 desc | Sealed Response to Motion | none | none |
| #43 | ORDER granting Defendant's 42 Motion to Seal Document No. 41 as to Jayton Gill (1). Signed by US Magistrate Judge David Keesler on 1/29/24. (mga) | none | done |
| #32 desc | Exhibit A | none | none |
| #44 | Notice of Attorney Appearance - Defendant | none | done |
| #45 desc | Motion to Modify Conditions of Release | none | none |
| #46 desc | Motion to Modify Conditions of Release | none | none |
| #47 desc | Order on Sealed Motion | none | none |
| #48 | Order on Motion to Modify Conditions of Release | none | done |
Extracted people
None yet.