Brian Krewson, a former Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) employee and party entertainer known for his Walter White impersonation from the TV show "Breaking Bad," is now under scrutiny from the Justice Department regarding his purported participation in a $54 million bitcoin storage and money laundering operation. This case is linked to convicted cocaine traffickers Christopher Castelluzzo and Luke Atwell, who are currently serving lengthy prison sentences of 21 and 19 years, respectively. The pair had previously run a narcotics business that reportedly sold up to $3 million in cocaine monthly.
The Justice Department alleges that the cryptocurrency in question was generated from drug sales on the Blue Sky market, including approximately 30,000 ether currently valued at over $54 million. Krewson, who held a senior technical support engineer position at Oracle from 2015 until this year, is now facing serious legal consequences for his alleged participation in the illicit scheme.
Evidence presented by the Justice Department suggests that Krewson had discussions with Castelluzzo and Atwell regarding the movement of the ether to offshore locations, such as Malta or the Bahamas. These discussions were revealed through prison calls and further corroborated by the fact that the three individuals remained Facebook friends as of mid-2021.
In a police raid that took place in July of last year, Krewson cooperated with law enforcement by providing the password to the cryptocurrency wallet, which allowed them to transfer all the funds to a Department of Justice (DOJ) wallet. Subsequently, Christopher Castelluzzo, on behalf of himself and Broken Wings Holdings, a company he co-ran with Krewson and Atwell for trading cryptocurrencies on the Bitrix exchange, appealed to a Colorado court in December for the return of these funds. Despite his claim that the funds were not proceeds of criminal activity, his appeal was denied by the court.
Last week, the Department of Justice announced the official seizure of these funds. As of now, Krewson's attorney has not provided any comments on the matter. However, Christopher Castelluzzo maintains that the cryptocurrency was acquired through legitimate means, raising doubts about the origin of the funds and the legality of their use.
The case continues to evolve, and the investigation is ongoing as the Justice Department works to uncover the full extent of this cryptocurrency laundering scheme, its connections to drug trafficking, and the roles of those involved. The consequences for Brian Krewson and his alleged co-conspirators could be severe if they are found guilty of the charges brought against them.