Utah Crypto Operator Gets Three Years for $2.9 Million Investor Fraud, With $3.8 Million Restitution

The sentence runs concurrently with a separate three‑year term tied to an unlicensed cash‑to‑crypto business.

Overview

Brian Garry Sewell, 54, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, followed by 36 months of supervised release.
Prosecutors said he misled at least 17 investors from December 2017 to April 2024 by overstating his experience and promising outsized returns, causing losses of roughly $2.9 million.
From March to September 2020, Sewell ran Rockwell Capital Management as an unlicensed money‑transmitting business that converted bulk cash to cryptocurrency for third parties, including criminals engaged in fraud and drug trafficking.
More than $5.4 million flowed through the cash‑to‑crypto operation, according to earlier court filings that formed the basis for the separate transmission case.
The court ordered over $3.8 million in combined restitution to investors and the Department of Homeland Security, and officials highlighted the case as a warning to regional cash‑to‑crypto operators.