Profits Over Justice: The Disturbing Crypto Prosecution of Roman Sterlingov

Topic:
The United States Government wrongfully accuses Swedish-citizen Roman Sterlingov of administrating the crypto-mixer Bitcoin Fog and laundering $330 Million of criminal proceeds through it over the course of a decade. But there isn’t a single piece of evidence that Roman ever operated Bitcoin Fog. He was merely an innocent user of the service securing his privacy interests. Nothing about this case adds up except the profit motives of the investigators and companies involved.
Roman faces 50-years to life in prison based on speculative, uncorroborated, blockchain forensics conducted at desks thousands of miles away from Sweden. Denied bail, he has languished in jail for over two years awaiting his September 9, 2023, trial. Hear Roman’s lawyers dissect this Kafkaesque nightmare and explain why everyone in the crypto community should be concerned about this American prosecution gone awry.
More insights can be found in this WIRED article: https://www.wired.com/story/bitcoin-fog-roman-sterlingov-blockchain-analysis/
www.torekeland.com

Door opening: 18:30
Talk start: 19:00

Sponsor: tba

The Speaker:
Tor Ekeland
Tor heads Tor Ekeland Law, PLLC's Computer Law, Trial, and Appellate practices. He is best known for representing hackers and white-collar defendants in federal criminal court and on appeal. Tor also counsels businesses and individuals under investigation by the United States Department of Justice, and those seeking counseling on compliance with U.S. computer laws.
Prior to starting the Firm, Tor was a litigator with the New York City office of Sidley Austin, LLP where he gained experience with U.S. securities laws and regulations, and Complex Commercial litigation. Businesses often turn to Tor for counseling on virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, ICO’s, and the intersection of U.S. securities and computer laws.
Tor has represented hackers and white-collar defendants in federal courts in California, Colorado, D.C., Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia. His experience encompasses all aspects of the federal criminal process, from target letters, grand jury testimony, pre-trial proceedings, trial, and appeal. The national and international press regularly turn to him for commentary on the computer law issues of the moment. Many of his cases revolve around the notorious Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), a civil and criminal federal statute at the heart of most computer law litigation in the United States. Other significant cases of his involve national security issues and government surveillance. He regularly deals with the Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Marshalls, the U.S. Probation Office and the Bureau of Prisons across the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_Ekeland

Michael Hassard
Michael Hassard is a member of the Computer Law and Federal Trials practice group at the Brooklyn offices of Tor Ekeland Law, PLLC. His practice focuses on computer law and advising clients in matters related to federal litigation, federal agency investigations and enforcement actions, and federal criminal trials. Michael regularly appears in federal courts across the United States on behalf of individuals accused of federal computer crimes.

Michael has years of experience with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and regularly manages matters at the intersection of computer and financial law. He also works on issues that implicate a wide range of federal regulations including the Money Laundering Control Act (MLCA), the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Blockchain guidelines. Michael has helped clients with issues ranging from navigating nascent fintech regulations and acquiring FCC approval for specialized technologies, to structuring blockchain startups and managing rapidly shifting crises. Michael has appeared on multiple panels and podcasts discussing the legal implications of developments in blockchain and cryptocurrency.