Regulatory History Abstract: Regulatory action against digital currency systems started quietly in Australia in 2004. In 2005, e-gold was raided but no charges were filed. In 2007, GoldAge, one of the original exchange agents, was closed and prosecuted. Also in 2007, the e-gold operators were indicted on multiple felony charges and the assets of about a dozen exchange agents in America were seized. Similar actions to separate digital currency businesses from US banking faculties can be seen today in the operation of US Bitcoin businesses. Mullan, Carl P. The Digital Currency Challenge: Shaping Online Payment Systems through US Financial Regulations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008. Regulatory History  DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 The question of regulating digital currency at the federal level and requiring state licensing dates back more than ten years. In 2002, early digital currency operators were unaware if their companies required licensing. Mr. James Fayed, the operator of e-bullion.com and owner of Gold Finger Coin & Bullion, asked his corporate attorney to inquire with the State of California requesting clarification if a money transmitting license was required for the e-bullion.com business. The response from state officials at that time was negative. In 2002, the attorney for e-bullion.com was informed by the state that its business did not require a California Money Transmitting License. “They are not eligible for a money transmitter license because their business model was not taking cash from person A and delivering cash to person B.”1 With the popularity of e-gold on the rise around the world, the governments of other countries such as India were also taking notice of digital currency. In October 2002, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned digital gold as a payment channel in that country. Specific digital gold companies mentioned by the government and included in this ban were e-gold and GoldMoney.2 In September 2004, several Australian independent digital currency exchanges ceased operation due to the strict application of Financial Services Licensing regulations in that country. Digital gold currency exchangers that were forced to close by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) included: goldex.net, sydneygoldsales. com, and ozzigold.com. While digital currency systems and these exchange operations in Australia had not yet been legally defined by government regulators, the ASIC believed digital currency products could be defined as non-cash payment systems. In Australia, people who deal in these products with Australian consumers are required to hold an Australian financial services license (AFSL).3 In 2004, in what was a friendly action by the Australian government, there were no arrests and no seizures. The local Australian companies all cooperated with ASIC throughout the investigation. Each exchange operation voluntarily withdrew company websites and closed businesses. The independent exchange agents operating in Australia simply moved to other jurisdictions and continued business under a different name or sold the business to associates in other countries. Australia’s new regulations had no long-term effect on e-gold liquidity or the digital currency industry. Since the online digital currency marketplace was global, Australian digital currency consumers simply continued transacting business through other countries. For easy operation, some Australian  The Digital Currency Challenge DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 users even opened New Zealand-based bank accounts and transacted their digital currency business through New Zealand. The events which unfolded following this brief government response in Australia, became a reactionary model for future digital currency regulatory events. This has become a well-recognized trend in digital currency. Due to the global nature of Internet digital currency, when one environment, jurisdiction, or network becomes too regulated businesses seeking to maintain their profitable enterprises, especially bad actors, will simply change jurisdictions or platforms. This friendly action by the Australian government in 2004 was the only large regulatory event to take place prior to US law enforcement action against e-gold. On the evening of December 19, 2005, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service raided the Melbourne, Florida, office of e-gold’s parent company, Gold & Silver Reserve Inc., and the local residence of founder, Dr. Douglas Jackson. No arrests were made at that time. That evening agents seized e-gold records, financial records, and volumes of data. The information, seized by the Secret Service, pertained to e-gold accounts, transaction information, electronic records, and other documents. Agent James Glendinning from the Secret Service’s Orlando office stated that “the 2005 raid was a spinoff of a 2004 international crackdown on Internet identity thieves who had used e-gold to receive payments.”4 As a direct result of the 2005 seizure, a court order froze all the US bank accounts of e-gold’s parent company. The December 2005 raid temporarily crippled the e-gold operation due to its loss of access to US bank accounts. A similar situation is now occurring with Bitcoin. Since July 2011, when the new MSB rule began to be implemented, US commercial banks have withdrawn from digital currency activity. Banks, fearing regulatory action and possible association with the illegal proceeds of crime, have been turning away from companies dealing in Bitcoin. With the US government’s seizure of Wells Fargo and Dwolla accounts, Mt. Gox, the largest Bitcoin exchange, has been unable to create any additional US banking faculties.  In May 2013, the Department of Homeland Security issued a seizure warrant to US payment processor Dwolla for the money in Mt. Gox’s Dwolla account (Mutum Sigillum LLC, a US subsidiary of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox). Mt. Gox is no longer processing any funds through US banks. The company had failed to register in the Regulatory History  DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 United States as a money transmitter and it appears that Mt. Gox had allegedly been in violation of US banking regulations for about 18 months.5  In July 2013, California-based Bank of the West began requesting information regarding the application of money service business regulations to the precious metals business of Amagi Metals (Amagi, Inc.). While it was clear that Amagi Metals only accepted Bitcoin as a method of payment, the bank closed their business account citing that they believed it was a risk to do business because of Bitcoin. Wells Fargo also rejected their business citing that even “holding” virtual currency as a business prevents the bank from offering them a new account.6  In April 2013, New York-based Bitfloor closed down their operation citing that the company’s US bank account had been involuntarily closed.7  Forbes Magazine reported in November of 2013 that BitInstant, a New York Bitcoin trading company, had been denied accounts at NY Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and US Bank.8  In July 2013, Jay Shore of Coinabul stated that both US Bank and Chase had informed him they were closing the company’s bank account.9  Tradehill Inc., a California Bitcoin exchange agent, suspended trading in August 2013 citing unspecified banking and regulatory reasons from its bank Internet Archive Federal Credit Union (IAFCU). Jered Kenna, CEO of Tradehill, says they have now been turned down by over one hundred banks.10  In late August of 2013, Jordan Modell, the CEO of the Internet Archive Federal Credit Union, stated that certain operational and regulatory issues had come to light and that the company would be unable to offer any Bitcoin-denominated accounts until further clarity was available.11  Presently, the Tradehill website states that the company has registered with FinCEN and is “actively engaging with banks and regulators to continue development of future business products and practices.”12  In the second quarter of 2013, Bitbox, a Michigan Bitcoin exchange, had its bank account at Comerica closed for no reason. Company CEO Kinnard Hockenhull then moved to IAFCU only to encounter the same problems months later.  The Digital Currency Challenge DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008  Bitspend, a bitcoin-based company which allows visitors to buy items on non-Bitcoin websites and pay in BTC, closed down indefinitely. The former operator of Bitspend stated that Chase bank decided that as a Bitcoin-based business it was too high risk for the bank. Bitspend’s accounts were frozen and closed.13 Today, US banks have no incentive to work with digital currency exchange operations and traditional MSBs are having a difficult time obtaining a US bank account. Based on the history of e-gold and other exchange agent operations in the United States, it is likely that this trend in the US market will continue with decentralized currency operations related to Bitcoin. In an interview with American Banker Magazine in May 2013, Jennifer Shasky Calvery, the director of FinCEN, stated that she did not believe it was MSB regulations that had “caused banks to de-risk themselves from operating in the MSB arena.”14 However, she mentioned that regulatory action and criminal enforcement against the biggest money launderer in US history, a reference to the digital currency company Liberty Reserve, could lead some banks to be overly aggressive in moving away from all digital currency business. Over the long term, digital currency experts believe that the MSB rule may have a negative effect on legitimate US digital currency companies and even those foreign-located Bitcoin companies seeking to do business in the United States.15 These actions are not new. Since the 2005 e-gold raid, there has been a very well-recognized pattern of isolating digital currency companies from access to US banks. This strategy works well to cripple or close any digital currency business operating from the United States. A similar situation occurred with digital currency during 2005–2008. Citing the risks associated with “digital currency,” the US banks were not handling accounts and doing business for digital currency companies. This included merchant card processing. In years past, when banks began turning down or closing digital currency accounts, it was generally recognized as a sign that the US market was fading. This same lack of access to US banks helped to close down digital gold company Crowne Gold in July of 2008. Today, the federal government and law enforcement agencies need to take a more sensitive approach to the future of Bitcoin in America. US regulators need to consider a “partnership” with decentralized currency developers and new Bitcoin businesses. The reality of all global digital currency, both past and future, is that users and merchants will either Regulatory History  DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 thrive in a regulated legitimate US market or operate underground and offshore. US banks can either fight the Bitcoin money service businesses, with a tired e-gold strategy, or engage the industry in healthy dialogue developing strategies that will cause the United States to become a world leader in digital currency innovation. Long-term action should be taken today in order to foster an environment where MSBs have access to banking and financial services in the future. If US banks don’t start cooperating with money transmitting Bitcoin-related businesses, all those potential US Bitcoin transactions will find a home offshore. If the business is pushed offshore, the United States will lose out on the creative new products from a global market and also any second stage innovation. Instead of becoming US partners in the fight to detect potential Bitcoin money-laundering and terror financing, the government’s inaction could result in much higher risks to consumers and an underground marketplace that hinders law enforcement efforts to track illicit financial transactions. Partnering with banks and new Bitcoin MSBs at this early stage increases the probability of regulatory compliance and taxation within US borders. American merchants require US dollars. Online American merchants accomplish everyday financial tasks through US banks. Whether the operation is e-gold, Bitcoin, or any other digital currency, if everyday access to US banks is blocked for a digital currency business, it is very possible that a majority of US merchants and customers will avoid using that digital currency product, since liquidity is one of the three driving forces behind all successful digital currency systems. If the process of exchanging digital currency into national currency is slowed or stopped, US customers will be averse to using that financial product. Additionally, the 2005 e-gold search warrant had permitted open government access to all e-gold accounts. Prosecutors in the case caused the Grand Jury to order complete dumps of the entire e-gold database on at least three separate occasions during the investigation. This exposed the financial records for tens of thousands of e-gold users never accused of any crime and never involved in any criminal activity. This turned out to be a particularly noteworthy act by government prosecutors. Under the Right to Financial Privacy Act, 12 USC §§ 3401–342, customers of digital currency companies should be afforded the same rights as bank customers. The Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 protects the confidentiality of personal financial records by creating a statutory Fourth Amendment protection for bank records. The definition of  The Digital Currency Challenge DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 financial institution was expanded in July 2002 to include money service businesses. Only specific e-gold accounts that had been identified as involved in criminal activity should have been accessed. The RFPA states that “no Government authority may have access to or obtain copies of, or the information contained in the financial records of any customer from a financial institution unless the financial records are reasonably described.” The statues requires that the requesting federal government agency must give the customer advance notice of the requested disclosure from the financial institution, thus giving the customer opportunity to challenge the government’s access to the records before the disclosure takes place.16 No charges were filed against e-gold in 2005 or 2006 and the digital currency business continued to expand around the world. In July of 2006, GoldAge, a very popular independent digital currency exchange agent in New York, was closed and the owners arrested for allegedly violating Article 13-B of New York State Banking Law. This digital currency operation was one of the first to be charged with operating a money transmitting business without a state license (New York). It is a class “E” felony to engage in the business of transmitting money without a license if one knowingly receives $250,000 or more for transmission within a period of one year or less, $25,000 or more in a 30-day period or less, and $10,000 or more in a single transaction. While the indictment included only the illegal money transmitting activity from January 2006 through June 30, 2006, GoldAge had been one of the first exchange agent operations in the United States and had originally opened, under different owners, in 1999. In July 2006, the company’s bank accounts were seized and never returned. The operators Arthur Budovsky and Vladimir Kats lost an estimated several million in cash deposits and volumes of personal client information and transaction details. The case concluded with each party being found guilty in the State of New York and sentenced to five years in prison. However, both sentences were reduced to probation. In a separate action by the Federal government, seven years later, in May 2013, both Arthur Budovsky and Vladimir Kats were again arrested along with others and charged by US Federal prosecutors under the USA Patriot Act. After a lengthy investigation by authorities across 17 countries, the government charged Budovsky, Kats, and others with money laundering and operating an unlicensed financial transaction company Regulatory History  DOI: 10.1057/9781137382559.0008 from Costa Rica. In what is alleged to be the largest money laundering prosecution in US history, Liberty Reserve is said to have been used to allegedly launder more than $6 billion in criminal proceeds during its history. For 16 months starting with the December 2005 e-gold raid through April 2007, no criminal charges had been filed against e-gold or its principles. During that time there were no civil actions or cases from any other US regulatory agency. However, in April of 2007, US government prosecutors presented evidence to a Grand Jury and indictments were returned on the e-gold operation. On Friday, April 27, 2007, the US attorney for the District of Columbia made public a four-count indictment which charged e-gold Ltd., Gold & Silver Reserve Inc., and owners Dr. Douglas L. Jackson, 50, of Satellite Beach; his brother Reid A. Jackson, 44, of Melbourne; and Barry K. Downey, 47, of Woodbine, Md., with four crimes: one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting—business under federal law—and one count of money transmission without a license under DC law. Of the four counts in the indictment, three related directly to operating without the proper money transmitting license. At that same time, in separate criminal actions, the government issued 24 seizure warrants on at least 58 large e-gold accounts. Alleging the e-gold contents included property involved in money laundering and the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, the government forced G&SR to seize and liquidate the contents of the accounts. This included the accounts of e-gold’s primary exchange agent OmniPay. US located independent digital currency exchange agents and businesses transacting large amounts of e-gold were the clear target of these seizures. Large US and foreign exchange agents including The Bullion Exchange, AnyGoldNow, IceGold, GitGold, The Denver Gold Exchange, GoldPouch Express, and even the alternative payment system “1MDC,” which was backed by e-gold, all lost substantial funds in the government action. The gold bullion represented by all of the accounts was sold and the funds were delivered to the government in the seizure. These independent e-gold exchange agents had been buying and selling e-gold. At the 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 government’s interest in pursuing third-party e-gold exchange agents. The 1961 Racketeering Act, also known as the RICO Act, is a tool of law enforcement which originally emerged to combat organized crime.17 Due to the arrests and seizures, e-gold’s bullion reserves dropped from 112,188 ounces (3,491.0 kilograms) in April 2007 to 84,856 ounces (2,461.2 kilograms) by June 2007. This was a drop of over 1,000 kilograms of gold bullion. 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. 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.