MIAMI, Fla. — A Florida cryptocurrency exchanger is facing up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to running an unlicensed money-transmitting business, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO) has announced.
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Raul Rodriguez, aka raultiovigia, 43, of Miami, pleaded guilty last week to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1960.
Rodriguez was in the business of converting cash into bitcoin and other digital currencies in exchange for a fee. Rodriguez provided these services to the public through an online digital currency exchange platform known as “LocalBitcoins.com,” said the USAO.
According to his plea agreement, Rodriguez exchanged at least $5,047,462 in digital currency from 2016 through 2022. Reportedly, during the first two years of that period, he was the highest-volume digital currency trader on the LocalBitcoins.com platform in the State of Florida.
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Rodriguez further admitted that his customers included an online narcotics trafficker and a professional money launderer, both of whom were previously prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida.
Rodriguez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2 at 11 a.m. in Miami.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea.
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IRS-CI Miami investigated the case with assistance from FBI, Miami Field Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marx Calderon and Emily Stone are handling asset forfeiture.
