Six Locals Indicted in Bank Fraud Scheme


Six New Hampshire residents have been charged with financial crimes stemming from what prosecutors called a “virtual currency exchange business.”

Ian Freeman, Colleen Fordham, Renee Spinella, Andrew Spinella and a 52-year-old Keene resident named “Nobody” are charged with wire fraud. Freeman is also charged with money laundering and Freeman and Aria DiMezzo are charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, according to the New Hampshire U.S. attorney’s office.

According to the indictment, the six operated a business for the last four years that allowed customers to exchange over $10 million for “virtual currency,” charging a fee for the service, using websites and ATMs in the state. The business violated federal anti-money laundering laws, prosecutors say.

As part of the operation, prosecutors claim the six defendants opened bank accounts in the name of religious entities and some lied to their financial institutions about the nature of their business, claiming their profits were in fact charitable contributions.

Credit Union Times reports the financial institutions involved were: Service Credit Union, Cheshire County Federal Credit Union and its parent, GFA Federal Credit Union in Massachusetts, along with First Tech Federal Credit Union in San Jose, California, Wells Fargo, TD Bank, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.