Crypto App Founder Sentenced to Additional 3.5 Years in Prison
Firoz Patel, the founder of a crypto payment app, has been sentenced to an additional 41 months in prison after attempting to hide 450 bitcoins that he was ordered to forfeit. The ruling was handed down by U.S. federal judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., based on charges of obstruction of justice.
Attempt to Conceal Multi-Million-Dollar Assets
Patel attempted to hide bitcoins currently valued at over $43.5 million from the court handling his 2020 case. At that time, he had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business and money laundering.
Back in 2020, he was sentenced to three years in prison and two years of supervised release for operating Payza, which, according to prosecutors, processed transactions in the U.S. without proper licensing. The platform was also allegedly used for money laundering and fraudulent schemes, including Ponzi and pyramid scams.
Manipulating Bitcoin Transactions
As part of his original sentence, Patel was required to identify and surrender all assets acquired through Payza. However, he falsely claimed to have only $30,000 in his retirement account.
After his conviction and before beginning his sentence, Patel started moving BTC linked to Payza. He first attempted to deposit the funds on Binance, but the exchange eventually shut down his account in 2021. He then opened an account on Blockchain.com under his father’s name and attempted to transfer the bitcoins there. When the exchange flagged the transaction, it froze the funds. Patel then instructed a business associate to submit false identification in an effort to unfreeze the assets.
Escape Plan Foiled by Investigators
While serving his sentence, Patel learned that investigators were tracking his hidden bitcoins. To avoid further prosecution, he hired an individual posing as a lawyer to deceive authorities and delay his release. He intended to flee the U.S. upon being freed, but investigators uncovered the scheme before his scheduled release.
Additional Penalties and Asset Seizure
Judge Friedrich not only imposed additional prison time but also ordered Patel to undergo three years of supervised release and forfeit assets worth over $24 million. Additionally, he lost claim to 450 BTC, which are currently held by Blockchain.com.
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