IRS Unveils Largest Crypto Cases of 2023

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The IRS Criminal Investigations Division has recently revealed a list of their top ten most well-known and high-profile cases in 2023, four of which included digital assets.

One of the cases in eighth place involved Amir Bruno Elmaani, the founder of the Bruno Block crypto project.

Elmaani had launched the Oyster Pearl coin in 2017, which was intended to be a utility token for a storage platform.

However, he failed to file a tax return and reported no income in 2018, despite spending millions on luxury items such as yachts and multiple homes.

As a result, he was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $5.5 million in compensation.

Another case on the list involved James Zhong, who was accused of stealing funds from the Silk Road darknet marketplace.