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Westport Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing $4.5 Million from Cryptocurrency Company
A judge’s gavel is shown in a file photo. (Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus)
WESTPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A Westport man who was once vice president of a cryptocurrency company has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4.4 million from them.
Dylan Meissner, 31, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison.
He was vice president of finance at a cryptocurrency research firm in January 2022 when he received a $170,000 loan from the firm to try to “avoid a substantial loss on certain cryptocurrency investments he had made using his personal funds,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement.
Then, from February 2022 until his termination in November 2022, he attempted to offset further losses by using company funds as if they were his own. He then covered up the fraud by making false entries in company records.
In total, he took $4,461,828. He was ordered to pay $4,633,424.99 in restitution.
He was released on $100,000 bail and will be sentenced on October 11.