Overview
- A federal grand jury charged Firas Isa, 36, and Virtual Assets LLC (doing business as Crypto Dispensers) with one count each of money-laundering conspiracy tied to at least $10 million from August 2018 to May 2025.
- The indictment says criminals and some fraud victims sent proceeds from wire fraud and narcotics offenses that were converted to cryptocurrency and routed to virtual wallets to obscure ownership.
- Isa surrendered, pleaded not guilty, was released on a $250,000 bond, and a status hearing is set for January 30, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo.
- Prosecutors allege the operation bypassed expected KYC/AML controls on Bitcoin ATMs deployed across the United States.
- If convicted, the charge carries up to 20 years in prison and potential forfeiture of property; the case was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with HSI, the FBI, IRS-CI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.