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Regulatory History
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Abstract: Regulatory action against digital currency
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systems started quietly in Australia in 2004. In 2005, e-gold
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was raided but no charges were filed. In 2007, GoldAge, one
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of the original exchange agents, was closed and prosecuted.
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Also in 2007, the e-gold operators were indicted on multiple
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felony charges and the assets of about a dozen exchange
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agents in America were seized. Similar actions to separate
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digital currency businesses from US banking faculties can
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be seen today in the operation of US Bitcoin businesses.
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Mullan, Carl P. The Digital Currency Challenge:
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Shaping Online Payment Systems through US Financial
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Regulations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008.
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Regulatory History
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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The question of regulating digital currency at the federal level and
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requiring state licensing dates back more than ten years. In 2002, early
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digital currency operators were unaware if their companies required
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licensing. Mr. James Fayed, the operator of e-bullion.com and owner
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of Gold Finger Coin & Bullion, asked his corporate attorney to inquire
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with the State of California requesting clarification if a money transmitting
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license was required for the e-bullion.com business. The response
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from state officials at that time was negative. In 2002, the attorney for
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e-bullion.com was informed by the state that its business did not require
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a California Money Transmitting License. “They are not eligible for a
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money transmitter license because their business model was not taking cash
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from person A and delivering cash to person B.”1
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With the popularity of
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e-gold on the rise around the world, the governments of other countries
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such as India were also taking notice of digital currency. In October
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2002, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned digital gold as a payment
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channel in that country. Specific digital gold companies mentioned by
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the government and included in this ban were e-gold and GoldMoney.2
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In September 2004, several Australian independent digital currency
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exchanges ceased operation due to the strict application of Financial
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Services Licensing regulations in that country. Digital gold currency
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exchangers that were forced to close by the Australian Securities and
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Investments Commission (ASIC) included: goldex.net, sydneygoldsales.
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com, and ozzigold.com. While digital currency systems and these
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exchange operations in Australia had not yet been legally defined by
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government regulators, the ASIC believed digital currency products
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could be defined as non-cash payment systems. In Australia, people who
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deal in these products with Australian consumers are required to hold
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an Australian financial services license (AFSL).3
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In 2004, in what was a friendly action by the Australian government,
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there were no arrests and no seizures. The local Australian companies
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all cooperated with ASIC throughout the investigation. Each exchange
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operation voluntarily withdrew company websites and closed businesses.
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The independent exchange agents operating in Australia simply moved
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to other jurisdictions and continued business under a different name or
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sold the business to associates in other countries. Australia’s new regulations
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had no long-term effect on e-gold liquidity or the digital currency
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industry. Since the online digital currency marketplace was global,
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Australian digital currency consumers simply continued transacting
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business through other countries. For easy operation, some Australian
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The Digital Currency Challenge
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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users even opened New Zealand-based bank accounts and transacted
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their digital currency business through New Zealand.
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The events which unfolded following this brief government response
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in Australia, became a reactionary model for future digital currency
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regulatory events. This has become a well-recognized trend in digital
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currency. Due to the global nature of Internet digital currency, when one
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environment, jurisdiction, or network becomes too regulated businesses
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seeking to maintain their profitable enterprises, especially bad actors,
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will simply change jurisdictions or platforms. This friendly action by the
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Australian government in 2004 was the only large regulatory event to
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take place prior to US law enforcement action against e-gold.
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On the evening of December 19, 2005, agents with the Federal Bureau
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of Investigation and Secret Service raided the Melbourne, Florida, office
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of e-gold’s parent company, Gold & Silver Reserve Inc., and the local
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residence of founder, Dr. Douglas Jackson. No arrests were made at that
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time. That evening agents seized e-gold records, financial records, and
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volumes of data. The information, seized by the Secret Service, pertained
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to e-gold accounts, transaction information, electronic records, and other
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documents. Agent James Glendinning from the Secret Service’s Orlando
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office stated that “the 2005 raid was a spinoff of a 2004 international
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crackdown on Internet identity thieves who had used e-gold to receive
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payments.”4
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As a direct result of the 2005 seizure, a court order froze all
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the US bank accounts of e-gold’s parent company. The December 2005
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raid temporarily crippled the e-gold operation due to its loss of access to
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US bank accounts.
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A similar situation is now occurring with Bitcoin. Since July 2011,
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when the new MSB rule began to be implemented, US commercial banks
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have withdrawn from digital currency activity. Banks, fearing regulatory
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action and possible association with the illegal proceeds of crime, have
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been turning away from companies dealing in Bitcoin. With the US
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government’s seizure of Wells Fargo and Dwolla accounts, Mt. Gox, the
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largest Bitcoin exchange, has been unable to create any additional US
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banking faculties.
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In May 2013, the Department of Homeland Security issued a
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seizure warrant to US payment processor Dwolla for the money in
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Mt. Gox’s Dwolla account (Mutum Sigillum LLC, a US subsidiary
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of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox). Mt. Gox is no longer processing any
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funds through US banks. The company had failed to register in the
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Regulatory History
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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United States as a money transmitter and it appears that Mt. Gox
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had allegedly been in violation of US banking regulations for about
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18 months.5
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In July 2013, California-based Bank of the West began requesting
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information regarding the application of money service business
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regulations to the precious metals business of Amagi Metals
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(Amagi, Inc.). While it was clear that Amagi Metals only accepted
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Bitcoin as a method of payment, the bank closed their business
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account citing that they believed it was a risk to do business
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because of Bitcoin. Wells Fargo also rejected their business citing
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that even “holding” virtual currency as a business prevents the
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bank from offering them a new account.6
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In April 2013, New York-based Bitfloor closed down their operation
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citing that the company’s US bank account had been involuntarily
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closed.7
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Forbes Magazine reported in November of 2013 that BitInstant, a
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New York Bitcoin trading company, had been denied accounts at
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NY Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and US Bank.8
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In July 2013, Jay Shore of Coinabul stated that both US Bank and
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Chase had informed him they were closing the company’s bank
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account.9
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Tradehill Inc., a California Bitcoin exchange agent, suspended
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trading in August 2013 citing unspecified banking and regulatory
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reasons from its bank Internet Archive Federal Credit Union
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(IAFCU). Jered Kenna, CEO of Tradehill, says they have now been
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turned down by over one hundred banks.10
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In late August of 2013, Jordan Modell, the CEO of the Internet
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Archive Federal Credit Union, stated that certain operational and
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regulatory issues had come to light and that the company would
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be unable to offer any Bitcoin-denominated accounts until further
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clarity was available.11
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Presently, the Tradehill website states that the company has
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registered with FinCEN and is “actively engaging with banks and
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regulators to continue development of future business products and
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practices.”12
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In the second quarter of 2013, Bitbox, a Michigan Bitcoin exchange,
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had its bank account at Comerica closed for no reason. Company
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CEO Kinnard Hockenhull then moved to IAFCU only to encounter
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the same problems months later.
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The Digital Currency Challenge
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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Bitspend, a bitcoin-based company which allows visitors to buy
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items on non-Bitcoin websites and pay in BTC, closed down
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indefinitely. The former operator of Bitspend stated that Chase
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bank decided that as a Bitcoin-based business it was too high risk
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for the bank. Bitspend’s accounts were frozen and closed.13
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Today, US banks have no incentive to work with digital currency
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exchange operations and traditional MSBs are having a difficult time
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obtaining a US bank account. Based on the history of e-gold and other
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exchange agent operations in the United States, it is likely that this trend
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in the US market will continue with decentralized currency operations
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related to Bitcoin.
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In an interview with American Banker Magazine in May 2013, Jennifer
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Shasky Calvery, the director of FinCEN, stated that she did not believe it
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was MSB regulations that had “caused banks to de-risk themselves from
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operating in the MSB arena.”14 However, she mentioned that regulatory
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action and criminal enforcement against the biggest money launderer in
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US history, a reference to the digital currency company Liberty Reserve,
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could lead some banks to be overly aggressive in moving away from all
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digital currency business. Over the long term, digital currency experts
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believe that the MSB rule may have a negative effect on legitimate US
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digital currency companies and even those foreign-located Bitcoin companies
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seeking to do business in the United States.15 These actions are not
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new. Since the 2005 e-gold raid, there has been a very well-recognized
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pattern of isolating digital currency companies from access to US banks.
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This strategy works well to cripple or close any digital currency business
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operating from the United States. A similar situation occurred with digital
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currency during 2005–2008. Citing the risks associated with “digital
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currency,” the US banks were not handling accounts and doing business
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for digital currency companies. This included merchant card processing.
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In years past, when banks began turning down or closing digital currency
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accounts, it was generally recognized as a sign that the US market
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was fading. This same lack of access to US banks helped to close down
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digital gold company Crowne Gold in July of 2008.
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Today, the federal government and law enforcement agencies need to
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take a more sensitive approach to the future of Bitcoin in America. US
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regulators need to consider a “partnership” with decentralized currency
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developers and new Bitcoin businesses. The reality of all global digital
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currency, both past and future, is that users and merchants will either
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Regulatory History
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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thrive in a regulated legitimate US market or operate underground and
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offshore. US banks can either fight the Bitcoin money service businesses,
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with a tired e-gold strategy, or engage the industry in healthy dialogue
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developing strategies that will cause the United States to become a
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world leader in digital currency innovation. Long-term action should be
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taken today in order to foster an environment where MSBs have access
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to banking and financial services in the future. If US banks don’t start
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cooperating with money transmitting Bitcoin-related businesses, all
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those potential US Bitcoin transactions will find a home offshore. If the
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business is pushed offshore, the United States will lose out on the creative
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new products from a global market and also any second stage innovation.
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Instead of becoming US partners in the fight to detect potential
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Bitcoin money-laundering and terror financing, the government’s inaction
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could result in much higher risks to consumers and an underground
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marketplace that hinders law enforcement efforts to track illicit financial
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transactions. Partnering with banks and new Bitcoin MSBs at this early
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stage increases the probability of regulatory compliance and taxation
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within US borders.
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American merchants require US dollars. Online American merchants
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accomplish everyday financial tasks through US banks. Whether the
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operation is e-gold, Bitcoin, or any other digital currency, if everyday
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access to US banks is blocked for a digital currency business, it is very
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possible that a majority of US merchants and customers will avoid using
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that digital currency product, since liquidity is one of the three driving
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forces behind all successful digital currency systems. If the process of
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exchanging digital currency into national currency is slowed or stopped,
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US customers will be averse to using that financial product.
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Additionally, the 2005 e-gold search warrant had permitted open
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government access to all e-gold accounts. Prosecutors in the case caused
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the Grand Jury to order complete dumps of the entire e-gold database on
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at least three separate occasions during the investigation. This exposed
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the financial records for tens of thousands of e-gold users never accused
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of any crime and never involved in any criminal activity. This turned
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out to be a particularly noteworthy act by government prosecutors.
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Under the Right to Financial Privacy Act, 12 USC §§ 3401–342, customers
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of digital currency companies should be afforded the same rights
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as bank customers. The Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 protects
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the confidentiality of personal financial records by creating a statutory
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Fourth Amendment protection for bank records. The definition of
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The Digital Currency Challenge
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
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financial institution was expanded in July 2002 to include money service
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businesses. Only specific e-gold accounts that had been identified as
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involved in criminal activity should have been accessed. The RFPA states
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that “no Government authority may have access to or obtain copies of,
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or the information contained in the financial records of any customer
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from a financial institution unless the financial records are reasonably
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described.”
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The statues requires that the requesting federal government agency must
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give the customer advance notice of the requested disclosure from the
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financial institution, thus giving the customer opportunity to challenge the
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government’s access to the records before the disclosure takes place.16
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No charges were filed against e-gold in 2005 or 2006 and the digital currency
|
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business continued to expand around the world.
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In July of 2006, GoldAge, a very popular independent digital currency
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exchange agent in New York, was closed and the owners arrested for
|
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allegedly violating Article 13-B of New York State Banking Law. This digital
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currency operation was one of the first to be charged with operating
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a money transmitting business without a state license (New York). It is a
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class “E” felony to engage in the business of transmitting money without
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a license if one knowingly receives $250,000 or more for transmission
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within a period of one year or less, $25,000 or more in a 30-day period
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or less, and $10,000 or more in a single transaction. While the indictment
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included only the illegal money transmitting activity from January
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2006 through June 30, 2006, GoldAge had been one of the first exchange
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agent operations in the United States and had originally opened, under
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different owners, in 1999. In July 2006, the company’s bank accounts
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were seized and never returned. The operators Arthur Budovsky and
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Vladimir Kats lost an estimated several million in cash deposits and
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volumes of personal client information and transaction details. The case
|
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concluded with each party being found guilty in the State of New York
|
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and sentenced to five years in prison. However, both sentences were
|
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reduced to probation.
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In a separate action by the Federal government, seven years later, in
|
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May 2013, both Arthur Budovsky and Vladimir Kats were again arrested
|
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along with others and charged by US Federal prosecutors under the USA
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Patriot Act. After a lengthy investigation by authorities across 17 countries,
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the government charged Budovsky, Kats, and others with money
|
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laundering and operating an unlicensed financial transaction company
|
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|
Regulatory History
|
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|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
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|
from Costa Rica. In what is alleged to be the largest money laundering
|
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prosecution in US history, Liberty Reserve is said to have been used to
|
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allegedly launder more than $6 billion in criminal proceeds during its
|
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history.
|
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For 16 months starting with the December 2005 e-gold raid through
|
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April 2007, no criminal charges had been filed against e-gold or its
|
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principles. During that time there were no civil actions or cases from
|
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any other US regulatory agency. However, in April of 2007, US government
|
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prosecutors presented evidence to a Grand Jury and indictments
|
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were returned on the e-gold operation. On Friday, April 27, 2007, the
|
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US attorney for the District of Columbia made public a four-count
|
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indictment which charged e-gold Ltd., Gold & Silver Reserve Inc., and
|
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owners Dr. Douglas L. Jackson, 50, of Satellite Beach; his brother Reid
|
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A. Jackson, 44, of Melbourne; and Barry K. Downey, 47, of Woodbine,
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Md., with four crimes: one count of conspiracy to launder monetary
|
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instruments, one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed
|
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money transmitting business, one count of operating an unlicensed
|
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money transmitting—business under federal law—and one count
|
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of money transmission without a license under DC law. Of the four
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counts in the indictment, three related directly to operating without
|
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the proper money transmitting license. At that same time, in separate
|
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criminal actions, the government issued 24 seizure warrants on at least
|
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58 large e-gold accounts. Alleging the e-gold contents included property
|
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involved in money laundering and the operation of an unlicensed
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money transmitting business, the government forced G&SR to seize
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and liquidate the contents of the accounts. This included the accounts
|
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of e-gold’s primary exchange agent OmniPay. US located independent
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digital currency exchange agents and businesses transacting large
|
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amounts of e-gold were the clear target of these seizures. Large US and
|
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foreign exchange agents including The Bullion Exchange, AnyGoldNow,
|
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IceGold, GitGold, The Denver Gold Exchange, GoldPouch Express,
|
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and even the alternative payment system “1MDC,” which was backed
|
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by e-gold, all lost substantial funds in the government action. The
|
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gold bullion represented by all of the accounts was sold and the funds
|
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were delivered to the government in the seizure. These independent
|
||||||
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e-gold exchange agents had been buying and selling e-gold. At the
|
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time, these companies were operating as independent exchange agents
|
||||||
|
for several digital currencies including e-gold. However, the seizure of
|
||||||
|
these exchange agent e-gold accounts occurred under the Racketeer
|
||||||
|
The Digital Currency Challenge
|
||||||
|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
||||||
|
Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes signaling the
|
||||||
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government’s interest in pursuing third-party e-gold exchange agents.
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The 1961 Racketeering Act, also known as the RICO Act, is a tool of law
|
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enforcement which originally emerged to combat organized crime.17
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Due to the arrests and seizures, e-gold’s bullion reserves dropped from
|
||||||
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112,188 ounces (3,491.0 kilograms) in April 2007 to 84,856 ounces (2,461.2
|
||||||
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kilograms) by June 2007. This was a drop of over 1,000 kilograms of gold
|
||||||
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bullion.
|
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|
While this coordinated legal action closed several of the industry’s
|
||||||
|
largest US exchange agents, including the primary dealer OmniPay, at
|
||||||
|
that time there were more than 120 active independent e-gold exchange
|
||||||
|
agents worldwide and the global e-gold business continued operating.
|
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|
While exchange transactions decreased and merchant activity was
|
||||||
|
reduced, e-gold’s daily business did not stop and the operation remained
|
||||||
|
in existence. Seized funds from the 58 e-gold accounts and bank accounts
|
||||||
|
of G&SR were never returned.
|
||||||
|
The criminal case against e-gold was brought under Title 18 USC section
|
||||||
|
1960. The e-gold defendants made a determined argument that the
|
||||||
|
business should not be subject to current Treasury regulations, however,
|
||||||
|
the judge rejected the argument. In February 2008, e-gold had filed a
|
||||||
|
motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the company’s business
|
||||||
|
did not fit the legal definition of a money transmitter. In May of 2008,
|
||||||
|
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer held that:
|
||||||
|
“money transmitting business” in governing criminal statute was
|
||||||
|
not restricted to business that handled cash;
|
||||||
|
defendants operated “money transmitting business” within
|
||||||
|
meaning of Money and Finance Code provision mandating
|
||||||
|
registration of such businesses;
|
||||||
|
criminal stature was not void for vagueness18;
|
||||||
|
From that date forward, the judge’s opinion made it very clear that anything
|
||||||
|
of value, not just cash or national currency, could be transmitted
|
||||||
|
online and was regulated under the existing law.
|
||||||
|
As part of an agreement, in July 2008, the company and its three directors
|
||||||
|
pleaded guilty. In November, Gold & Silver Reserve CEO Douglas
|
||||||
|
Jackson was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, a $200 fine,
|
||||||
|
and three years of supervision, including six months of electronically
|
||||||
|
monitored home detention. Reid Jackson, Douglas Jackson’s brother,
|
||||||
|
and e-Gold director Barry Downey were each sentenced to three years
|
||||||
|
Regulatory History
|
||||||
|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
||||||
|
of probation, 300 hours of community service, and ordered to pay a
|
||||||
|
$2,500 fine and a $100 assessment fee each.19 The plea agreement did not
|
||||||
|
close down the e-gold business. The business was permitted to continue
|
||||||
|
operating with the following significant restraints:
|
||||||
|
registration with FinCEN;
|
||||||
|
all required state money transmitter licensing;
|
||||||
|
creation and implementation of an anti-money laundering program
|
||||||
|
which includes rigorous customer verification;
|
||||||
|
suspicious activity reporting (SAR);
|
||||||
|
blocking of accounts for specially designated nationals (SDNs) and/
|
||||||
|
or politically exposed people (PEP);
|
||||||
|
employee AML training;
|
||||||
|
independent audits; and
|
||||||
|
other safeguards to the system.
|
||||||
|
Unfortunately, as convicted felons, none of the former operators of
|
||||||
|
e-gold could ever be licensed, at any future time, for this type of work in
|
||||||
|
the US financial industry. The legal importance of this case should not
|
||||||
|
be understated. Judge Rosemary Collier’s 19-page Memorandum of Law
|
||||||
|
in Support of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Counts Two, Three and
|
||||||
|
Four of the Indictment changed the way digital currency was recognized
|
||||||
|
in America. For almost a decade e-gold had been operating unlicensed
|
||||||
|
using the justification the company never handled cash transactions and
|
||||||
|
was not required to be licensed. The court found this to be untrue and all
|
||||||
|
other digital currency businesses, from that date forward, were required
|
||||||
|
to be licensed at a federal and state level (several US states do not require
|
||||||
|
money transmitting licenses). This included digital currency providers,
|
||||||
|
operators, and all exchange agents. The e-gold case in 2008 was a landmark
|
||||||
|
case for digital currency. The ruling said that if the digital currency
|
||||||
|
is backed by gold, national currency, or by nothing and called a “decentralized
|
||||||
|
virtual currency,” that convertible digital value is recognized
|
||||||
|
by the US government, and those companies engaged in transmitting
|
||||||
|
value online are financial services which require proper licensing. This
|
||||||
|
is painfully obvious in the case Mt. Gox. Mark Karpeles, founder and
|
||||||
|
owner of Mt. Gox, could be facing charges as federal law enforcement
|
||||||
|
agents allege Mutum Sigillum, LLC engaged in a money transmitting
|
||||||
|
business although it was not registered with FinCEN and acted as an
|
||||||
|
unlicensed money service business in violation of 18 USC Section 1960.
|
||||||
|
The earlier case of GoldAge, in 2006, was another independent exchange
|
||||||
|
The Digital Currency Challenge
|
||||||
|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
||||||
|
agent prosecuted for failing to obtain proper licensing in New York State.
|
||||||
|
The prosecution in 2008 of Michael Comer for operating Intgold digital
|
||||||
|
currency without a money transmitter license is another prime example.
|
||||||
|
There have been several prominent US cases in which digital currency
|
||||||
|
companies and their operators have been charged with operating an
|
||||||
|
unlicensed money transmitting business. Here is the short list of related
|
||||||
|
cases (partial list of charges per case for each individual):
|
||||||
|
Dr. Douglas Jackson, Reid Jackson, Barry Downey (e-gold) Count:
|
||||||
|
3 18:1960 and 2; Monetary Laundering; Prohibition of Unlicensed
|
||||||
|
Money Transmitting Business and Aiding and Abetting.
|
||||||
|
James Michael Fayed and Goldfinger Coin & Bullion, Inc.
|
||||||
|
(e-bullion), 2–08-cr-00224-PSG-1 USA v. Fayed et al, Count: 1 18
|
||||||
|
USC § 1960 Operating an unlicensed money transmitting business
|
||||||
|
02/26/2008.
|
||||||
|
Michael Comer (Intgold) 3–08ncr-00085-N All Defendants USA
|
||||||
|
v. Comer 03/28/2008 Count: 1 18 USC § 1960 (a) and (b) (1) (B)
|
||||||
|
Operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
|
||||||
|
Vladamir Kats (GoldAge), Arthur Budovsky (GoldAge) [State of
|
||||||
|
New York] Count: 2 18:371.F Conspiracy to operate an unlicensed
|
||||||
|
money transmitting business, Count: 3 18:1960.F Monetary
|
||||||
|
laundering (Operating an unlicensed money transmitting
|
||||||
|
business).
|
||||||
|
Vladamir Kats et al (Liberty Reserve S.A.), 1:13-cr-00368-DLC USA
|
||||||
|
v. Kats et al Date filed: 05/20/2013[Costa Rica], Count: 2 18:371.F
|
||||||
|
Conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business,
|
||||||
|
Count: 3 18:1960.F Monetary Laundering (Operation of unlicensed
|
||||||
|
money transmitting business), With respect to Count 2, the Liberty
|
||||||
|
Reserve indictment specifically references the new July 2011 MSB
|
||||||
|
Rule and its application to foreign-based businesses.
|
||||||
|
Since 2008, there has been no question that US regulations require
|
||||||
|
digital currency businesses to be properly licensed. In fact, the original
|
||||||
|
e-gold conviction was obtained before the first Bitcoin ever circulated.
|
||||||
|
Despite the fact that both e-gold and e-bullion had, at separate times,
|
||||||
|
requested information from the government on whether or not the
|
||||||
|
companies were required to obtain the proper government licensing,
|
||||||
|
e-bullion in 2002 and e-gold in 2006, both companies were eventually
|
||||||
|
charged with crimes relating to operating without a money transmitter
|
||||||
|
license.
|
||||||
|
Regulatory History
|
||||||
|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
||||||
|
Notes
|
||||||
|
K. Griffith (kengriffith@gmail.com), e-bullion follow up, [email] message to
|
||||||
|
C. Mullan (carl@pdxcurrency.org), November 19, 2013.
|
||||||
|
Rediff.com, 2002. rediff.com: RBI Bans Gold Money as Payment Channel.
|
||||||
|
[online] Available at: http://www.rediff.com/money/2002/oct/22gold.htm
|
||||||
|
(accessed: December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
Asic.gov.au, 2004. Australian Securities and Investments Commission - 04–366
|
||||||
|
ASIC Acts to Shut Down Electronic Currency Trading Websites. [online] Available
|
||||||
|
at: http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/04–366+ASIC+acts+to
|
||||||
|
+shut+down+electronic+currency+trading+websites (accessed: December
|
||||||
|
13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
FLORIDA TODAY, 2002. FLORIDA TODAY Breaking News Section.
|
||||||
|
[online] Available at: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
|
||||||
|
article?AID=/20070428/BREAKINGNEWS/70428010/1086&nclick_check=1
|
||||||
|
(accessed: December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
V. Buterin, 2013. MtGox’s Dwolla Account Seized for Unlicensed Money
|
||||||
|
Transmission. [online] Available at: http://bitcoinmagazine.com/4641/mtgoxsdwolla-account-seized/
|
||||||
|
(accessed: November 18, 2013).
|
||||||
|
Reddit.com, 2013. Bank of the West Is Shutting Down Our Bank Account because
|
||||||
|
We Accept Bitcoins: Bitcoin. [online] Available at: http://www.reddit.com/r/
|
||||||
|
Bitcoin/comments/1inixa/bank_of_the_west_is_shutting_down_our_bank/
|
||||||
|
(accessed: December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
K. Hill, 2013. Bitcoin Companies and Entrepreneurs Can’t Get Bank Accounts.
|
||||||
|
[online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/11/15/
|
||||||
|
bitcoin-companies-and-entrepreneurs-cant-get-bank-accounts (accessed:
|
||||||
|
December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
Ibid.
|
||||||
|
Ibid.
|
||||||
|
E. Spaven, 2013. Tradehill Suspends Trading Due to “Operational and Regulatory
|
||||||
|
Issues.” [online] Available at: http://www.coindesk.com/tradehill-haltstrading-due-to-iafcu-operational-and-regulatory-issues/
|
||||||
|
(accessed:
|
||||||
|
December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
J. Modell, 2013. Rocky Road Is Still One of My Favorite Flavors « Internet Credit
|
||||||
|
Union. [online] Available at: https://internetcreditunion.org/uncategorized/
|
||||||
|
rocky-road-is-still-one-of-my-favorite-flavors/ (accessed: December 13,
|
||||||
|
2013).
|
||||||
|
Finextra.com, 2013. Finextra: Tradehill Suspends Bitcoin Trading in Face of
|
||||||
|
Regulatory Heat. [online] Available at: http://www.finextra.com/News/
|
||||||
|
FullStory.aspx?newsitemid=25165 (accessed: December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
Reddit.com, 2013. [Update/News] Why We Have Been Slow and Taking Longer
|
||||||
|
Than Usual to Process Orders. Hint, Banks Don’t Like Bitcoins: BitSpend.
|
||||||
|
The Digital Currency Challenge
|
||||||
|
DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008
|
||||||
|
[online] Available at: http://www.reddit.com/r/BitSpend/comments/1go95b/
|
||||||
|
updatenews_why_we_have_been_slow_and_taking/ (accessed: December
|
||||||
|
13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
R. Blackwell, 2013. Fincen Chief Q&A: What We Expect from Digital Currency
|
||||||
|
Firms. [online] Available at: http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/178_104/
|
||||||
|
fincen-chief-q-and-a-what-we-expect-from-digital-currency-firms-
|
||||||
|
1059485–1.html (accessed: December 16, 2013).
|
||||||
|
Ibid.
|
||||||
|
Epic.org, 2013. EPIC—The Right to Financial Privacy Act. [online] Available at:
|
||||||
|
http://epic.org/privacy/rfpa/ (accessed: December 13, 2013).
|
||||||
|
United States of America v. All Property in/underlying e-gold Account Number, 25
|
||||||
|
Cases 1:07-cv-01322-RMC thru 1:07-cv-01345-RMC (2007).
|
||||||
|
Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Counts
|
||||||
|
Two, Three and Four of the Indictment at 13–14, United States v. E-gold Ltd.,
|
||||||
|
550 F. Supp. 82 (D.D.C. Feb. 11, 2008) (No. 07–109).
|
||||||
|
Department of Justice, 2008. Digital Currency Business E-Gold Pleads Guilty
|
||||||
|
to Money Laundering and Illegal Money Transmitting Charges. [press release]
|
||||||
|
Monday, July 21, 2008.
|
||||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user