Windy at times with rain. Thunderstorms possible…mainly in the afternoon. Morning high of 53F with temps falling to near 40. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 14F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Updated: December 23, 2022 @ 4:38 am
FREEMAN
IAN FREEMAN

FREEMAN
IAN FREEMAN
A federal jury convicted Bitcoin trader, libertarian activist and radio personality Ian Freeman on all felony charges Thursday related to his cryptocurrency business.
Freeman, 42, of Keene was found guilty on all counts of money laundering, conspiracy to launder money, operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, and four counts of tax evasion, federal prosecutors announced.
Prosecutors claim that Freeman, formerly known as Ian Bernard, ran a money-laundering business that catered to scammers and other criminals and had them make cash donations to Keene area churches and converted that into Bitcoin. In doing so, Freeman charged higher than normal transaction fees.
Freeman is a Free Keene activist who hosts a weekly Liberty-oriented internet radio program.
Four other co-defendants pleaded guilty.
Freeman’s defense attorney, Mark Sisti, did not return a telephone call seeking comment on the verdict on Thursday.
Prosecutors argued over the course of the 10-day trial, Freeman laundered over $10 million in proceeds of romance scams and other internet frauds by exchanging U.S. dollars for bitcoin. By charging exorbitant fees, Freeman made in excess of $1 million, prosecutors said.
Records and exhibits presented in court show Freeman and his co-conspirators opened and operated accounts at financial institutions in the names of various churches including the Shire Free Church, the Church of the Invisible Hand, the Crypto Church of New Hampshire and the NH Peace Church.
Freeman instructed bitcoin customers, often victims of scams, to lie to the financial institutions and describe their deposits as church donations. Prosecutors said from 2016 to 2019 Freeman paid no taxes and concealed his income from the Internal Revenue Service.
Freeman is facing a sentence of more than eight years in jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2023.
He was not taken into custody pending his sentencing date, officials said.
“The culture of scamming through the internet has become a pervasive societal problem,” said U.S. Attorney Jane Young in a statement. “These scammers get away with their crimes, which often victimize some of our most vulnerable citizens, by hiding their tracks, including the money trail. Money launderers such as Ian Freeman are the ones who help hide the money for these scammers.”
“Today’s swift verdict sends a strong message that this type of money laundering will not be tolerated,” added Young.
Joleen Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Boston Field Office, said Freeman is “another example of an individual who attempted to conceal the true source of his money and was caught.”
“Federal laws that regulate the reporting of financial transactions are in place to detect and stop illegal activities and the IRS will continue to take every step necessary to ferret out those who attempt to avoid their reporting obligations under the law,” said Simpson in a statement.
pfeely@unionleader.com
FREEMAN
IAN FREEMAN
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