Get 40% Off
🚀 AI-picked stocks soar in May. PRFT is +55%—in just 16 days! Don’t miss June’s top picks.Unlock full list

Oracle employee implicated in $54 million cryptocurrency laundering scheme

EditorOliver Gray
Published 11/07/2023, 07:58 PM
© Reuters.
ORCL
-
ETH
-

Brian Krewson, an Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) employee and party entertainer, is under scrutiny from the Justice Department for his alleged involvement in a $54 million cryptocurrency storage and laundering scheme. Convicted cocaine traffickers Christopher Castelluzzo and Luke Atwell, who are serving 21 and 19 years respectively, are said to be connected to the operation. The pair previously ran a narcotics business that reportedly sold up to $3 million in cocaine monthly.

The Justice Department alleges that the cryptocurrency was generated from drug sales on the Blue Sky market, including 30,000 ether now valued at over $54 million. Krewson, known for his Walter White impersonation from the TV show "Breaking Bad", held a senior technical support engineer position at Oracle from 2015 until this year.

Evidence suggests that Krewson had discussions with Castelluzzo and Atwell about moving the ether to Malta or the Bahamas. These discussions were revealed through prison calls and further corroborated by their continued Facebook (NASDAQ:META) friendship as of mid-2021.

In a police raid in July last year, Krewson provided the password to the crypto wallet, allowing law enforcement to transfer all funds to a DOJ wallet. Castelluzzo, on behalf of himself and Broken Wings Holdings – a company he ran with Krewson and Atwell for trading cryptocurrencies on Bitrix exchange – appealed to a Colorado court last December for the return of these funds. Despite his claim that the funds were not criminal proceeds, his appeal was denied.

The DOJ announced the seizure of these funds last week. While Krewson's attorney has yet to comment on the matter, Castelluzzo maintains that the cryptocurrency was acquired legitimately.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.