Aria DiMezzo of ‘Crypto Six’ Sentenced – NBC Boston

Aria DiMezzo, a 36-year-old anarchist and founder of the Reformed Satanic Church in Keene, New Hampshire, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for operating a money transfer business without a license.

DiMezzo, along with five other libertarian activists—Ian Freeman (formerly Ian Bernard), Nobody (formerly Rich Paul), Renee Spinella, Andy Spinella, and Colleen Fordham—are known as the “Crypto 6,” all of whom were involved in operating businesses there customers will use their platforms to convert US dollars to bitcoin.

In April 2022, the Spinellas and Nobody pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Andrew Spinella received 18 months of probation and a $600 fine, Renee Spinella received three years of supervised release and $2,000 in fines, and none were sentenced to two years of supervised release and time already served.

The charges against Colleen Fordham were dropped, and Freeman will be the last of the Crypto 6 to be sentenced.

In December 2022, Freeman was found guilty of money laundering, conspiracy to launder money, operating an unlicensed money transmission business and four counts of tax evasion. His sentencing is scheduled for July 17.

Inside the US Federal Court House in Concord, New Hampshire, about 35 people came to support DiMezzo during her sentencing — Freeman among them.

“Aria is an amazing person who has a ton of great people in her life supporting her,” Freeman said.

DiMezzo and her attorney, Richard Guerriero, pushed for a one-year sentence at home, arguing that the only offense was not having a license, which is why she pleaded guilty to that charge only.

Federal prosecutors argued that DiMezzo should receive 30-37 months in prison, citing sentencing guidelines for the nature of the crime. Prosecutors also showed a video clip of DiMezzo giving a presentation on how to sell bitcoin and instructing viewers not to ask why someone might want to buy it. They claimed this video proved her actions were “more aggravated than just not getting a license.”

DiMezzo issued a statement regarding her belief in financial privacy, saying she did not believe what she did was illegal or harmed anyone who was defrauded.

As for her financial privacy statement, Judge Joseph Leplante said, “It doesn’t matter, the damage is still the damage.”

In addition to the 18-month sentence, DiMezzo forfeited $14,000 and nearly two bitcoins, worth about $55,000. She was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and will have one year of supervised release after serving the sentence.

DiMezzo’s supporters hugged and cried after the decision.

Andrea Madison, general manager of Domino’s in Keene, where DiMezzo works as an assistant general manager, was in tears.

“It hurts,” Madison said. “We’re losing a very dear friend for 18 months, so it’s a big deal.”

DiMezzo lives in Keene. In 2020 she ran as a Republican candidate for Cheshire County Sheriff and in 2022 for the New Hampshire House of Representatives for Cheshire County District 1.

She is also associated with the Free State Project, a political migration of 20,000 libertarians to New Hampshire, although she did not officially sign the pledge to be part of the movement. She was featured in NBC10 Boston’s original docu-series, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of New Hampshire”, which tells the story of Crypto 6 in episode 10.

Aria DiMezzo joins Alison King and Sue O’Connell to discuss the allegations against the “Crypto Six” – a group of Free Staters accused of fraud and money laundering using cryptocurrency.

Supporters and friends of DiMezzo took a group photo outside the courthouse Tuesday, many of them wearing “Free the Crypto 6” T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Bitcoin is not a crime.”

DiMezzo said she does not plan to appeal the sentence, which is set to begin June 27.

“I’ve had this hanging over my head for more than two years,” she said. “I’m ready to be done with it.”