On Dec. 6, 2022, the “Crypto Six” case will be heading to trial, and out of all six defendants, only Ian Freeman, co-host of the radio broadcast Free Talk Live, has not accepted a plea bargain. According to the most recent hearing, Freeman’s legal counsel filed a Daubert motion, which aims to exclude the government’s expert testimony, as it’s been argued that private firms and closed-source software used in blockchain analysis don’t meet the Daubert standards of admissible evidence.
Roughly 20 months ago on March 16, 2021, federal agents raided the Free Talk Live studio, the Bitcoin Embassy, and Shire Free Church in Keene New Hampshire. At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged six New Hampshire residents for operating a cryptocurrency exchange business without the proper permission. The DOJ “Crypto Six” indictment “alleges that the defendants knowingly operated the crypto exchange business in violation of federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations.”
Since then out of all six individuals, Ian Freeman, co-host of the radio broadcast Free Talk Live and libertarian activist, is the only person that remains in the case. Freeman is taking the case to a jury and the trial begins on Dec. 6, 2022. Freeman told Bitcoin.com News this week that it was revealed prosecutors are dropping all fraud-related charges against Freeman prior to trial. He also said that jury selection will start on the sixth as well, and the trial will start immediately after jurors are selected, which is expected to take two weeks.
Freeman discussed the subject with Bitcoin.com News and explained that his legal team filed a Daubert motion meant to exclude the testimony of the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert.’ He said that since the U.S. government relied on private companies and closed-source software it doesn’t meet the Daubert standards of admissible evidence.
“The feds then scrambled to have the ‘expert’ re-do the analysis using the blockchain.com explorer, which they call ‘open source,’ even though it’s just open for public use, not open source,” Freeman said. “This is a tacit admission that they know Chainalysis’ findings would not pass legal muster and it would be denied as evidence in a trial,” he added.
The Free Talk Live co-host continued:
Furthermore, my attorney questioned the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert’ Erin Montgomery and got her to admit that she’s not even a computer scientist. She has a liberal arts degree and admitted that anyone can do what she did, which disqualifies her as an ‘expert.’ The prosecution will be prohibited from presenting her as any sort of expert at trial.
According to the web portal thecrypto6.com, supporters will be protesting outside the courthouse on Dec. 12, 2022. Mainstream media is anticipated to attend and Freeman told our newsdesk that the team is trying to get an audio feed of the trial online. “Presently, we are awaiting approval from the judge on that,” Freeman detailed.
For more details on the charges that were dropped and the charges that remain, check out the summary from freekeene.com here.
What do you think about the “Crypto Six” case and how Freeman is the only one left taking the case to trial? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Fidelity Investments Launches Crypto, Metaverse ETFs — Says 'We Continue to See Demand'
Fidelity Investments, one of the largest financial services firms with more than $11 trillion under administration, is launching exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focusing on the crypto ecosystem and the metaverse. "We continue to see demand, particularly from young investors, for access ... read more.
On Dec. 6, 2022, the “Crypto Six” case will be heading to trial, and out of all six defendants, only Ian Freeman, co-host of the radio broadcast Free Talk Live, has not accepted a plea bargain. According to the most recent hearing, Freeman’s legal counsel filed a Daubert motion, which aims to exclude the government’s expert testimony, as it’s been argued that private firms and closed-source software used in blockchain analysis don’t meet the Daubert standards of admissible evidence.
Roughly 20 months ago on March 16, 2021, federal agents raided the Free Talk Live studio, the Bitcoin Embassy, and Shire Free Church in Keene New Hampshire. At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged six New Hampshire residents for operating a cryptocurrency exchange business without the proper permission. The DOJ “Crypto Six” indictment “alleges that the defendants knowingly operated the crypto exchange business in violation of federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations.”
Since then out of all six individuals, Ian Freeman, co-host of the radio broadcast Free Talk Live and libertarian activist, is the only person that remains in the case. Freeman is taking the case to a jury and the trial begins on Dec. 6, 2022. Freeman told Bitcoin.com News this week that it was revealed prosecutors are dropping all fraud-related charges against Freeman prior to trial. He also said that jury selection will start on the sixth as well, and the trial will start immediately after jurors are selected, which is expected to take two weeks.
Freeman discussed the subject with Bitcoin.com News and explained that his legal team filed a Daubert motion meant to exclude the testimony of the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert.’ He said that since the U.S. government relied on private companies and closed-source software it doesn’t meet the Daubert standards of admissible evidence.
“The feds then scrambled to have the ‘expert’ re-do the analysis using the blockchain.com explorer, which they call ‘open source,’ even though it’s just open for public use, not open source,” Freeman said. “This is a tacit admission that they know Chainalysis’ findings would not pass legal muster and it would be denied as evidence in a trial,” he added.
The Free Talk Live co-host continued:
Furthermore, my attorney questioned the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert’ Erin Montgomery and got her to admit that she’s not even a computer scientist. She has a liberal arts degree and admitted that anyone can do what she did, which disqualifies her as an ‘expert.’ The prosecution will be prohibited from presenting her as any sort of expert at trial.
According to the web portal thecrypto6.com, supporters will be protesting outside the courthouse on Dec. 12, 2022. Mainstream media is anticipated to attend and Freeman told our newsdesk that the team is trying to get an audio feed of the trial online. “Presently, we are awaiting approval from the judge on that,” Freeman detailed.
For more details on the charges that were dropped and the charges that remain, check out the summary from freekeene.com here.
What do you think about the “Crypto Six” case and how Freeman is the only one left taking the case to trial? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Central Bank of Brazil Confirms It Will Run a Pilot Test for Its CBDC This Year
The Central Bank of Brazil has confirmed that the institution will run a pilot test regarding the implementation of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital real. Roberto Campos Neto, president of the bank, also stated that this ... read more.
During the last seven days, bitcoin’s price has remained above the $16K region following the aftermath of FTX’s collapse. Since then, a number of ‘sleeping bitcoins’ that sat idle for five to nine years have been moving during the last four days. Bitcoins that were worth far less back then are being transferred for the first time in years.
Bitcoin’s (BTC) price has remained steady during the last seven days, ranging between $16,150 to $16,995 per unit, and a brief jump over the $17K zone. Over the last four days, while BTC prices are much lower than they were at the start of November, hundreds of old bitcoins have been on the move.
For instance, two owners spent 348 bitcoin on Nov. 29, 2022, and the stash was once worth $348,000. We can’t really tell whether or not the transferred coins were sold, but they were spent from addresses created almost six years ago. Heuristics also indicate that out of the 348 bitcoin that sat dormant since March 2017, 299 of that BTC likely belonged to the same owner.
The 348 BTC is worth roughly 5.8 million nominal U.S. dollars using current BTC exchange rates. One owner controlled “17HxA,” an address created on March 29, 2017, and it spent 48.88 BTC at block height 765,168. Coincidently, five more transactions, from addresses created at the end of March 2017, spent 59.99 BTC in each transaction at block heights 765,169, 765,184, 765,185, 765,187, and 765,190.
On the same day, blockchain parsers from btcparser.com caught a 173.61 BTC spend from an idle address created on June 14, 2017, and another 100 BTC spend from an address created on April 12, 2014. The 100 bitcoin sat in an address idle for close to nine years, and at the time, each BTC was worth less than $500 per unit.
Following these old spends, a transaction from an address first seen close to ten years ago, on April 26, 2013, beat all the spends transacted on Nov. 29, 2022. The transaction took place on Dec. 2, 2022, and the wallet “1EaAv” spent 600 so-called ‘sleeping bitcoins.’ The 600 BTC was worth around $84,000 on April 26, 2013, and today the coins that were spent at block height 765,644, are worth roughly $10.14 million using current BTC exchange rates.
Data shows that out of all the bitcoins spent since Nov. 29, which slept for roughly five to nine years, all of them combined were worth less than $800K in value at the time the original addresses were created. Using exchange rates today, the 1,221.45 BTC that stemmed from ‘sleeping bitcoin’ addresses equates to around $20 million. Old holders are moving bitcoins that sat dormant for five to nine years, while current bitcoin prices are at the lowest values in two years.
What do you think about the so-called ‘sleeping bitcoin’ addresses that have spent roughly $20 million in bitcoin during the last few days? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
NFT Sales Volume Saw a Small Uptick This Week — Moonbirds, Mutant Apes Take Top Sales
Non-fungible token (NFT) sales saw a small uptick over the last week as $658.4 million in NFT sales were recorded, up 3.35% in seven days. Out of 15 blockchains, Polygon-based NFT sales saw the largest increase in volume, jumping 106.68% ... read more.
Source From : News