Millions in Crypto & Cash Seized in Movie Piracy Investigation

[steven36]

EXCLUSIVE: The unusual case of alleged movie piracy and a small fortune in cryptocurrency is the latest example of police testing their powers under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act, which came into force in 2009.

 

 

Police have seized nearly $6.7 million in cryptocurrency, as well as $1.1m in bank funds, from a Hamilton man following an investigation into alleged online movie piracy in the United States.

 

Sound familiar? This time it is not Kim Dotcom in the sights of American authorities but a software programmer called Jaron David McIvor.

 

The 31-year-old lives in a modest rental property with a relative who has also been dragged into the inquiry triggered by tax officials in the United States.

 

There are no overt signs of wealth, such as expensive cars in the driveway.

 

But after the police knocked on the door on the weatherboard home in June, McIvor handed them the key codes to unlock more than $6m worth of various cryptocurrencies.

 

The seizure is part of an investigation into alleged online movie piracy.

 

While cryptocurrency has been confiscated from a drug dealer in Wellington previously, this seizure is believed to be the first "high value" restraint of cryptocurrency in New Zealand and easily the largest amount.

 

The assets have been restrained under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act; a civil case where a High Court judge can grant the freezing order if there are "reasonable grounds" someone has profited from "significant criminal activity".

In this case, the police allege McIvor has committed money laundering by receiving millions of dollars from an alleged illegal movie streaming website he helped create.

 

The Weekend Herald was unable to reach McIvor at home but his lawyer, Hamilton barrister Truc Tran, said his client denied the police allegations of money laundering.

 

McIvor has not been criminally charged with money laundering.

 

But cases taken under the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act are determined by the civil level of proof, the "balance of probabilities", rather than the much higher criminal evidential threshold of "beyond reasonable doubt".

 

Whether the seized assets are ultimately forfeited to the Crown will be determined by a High Court judge, either by way of a trial or a potential settlement agreement.

 

Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Kay, the head of the Asset Recovery Unit in the Waikato, said his team became involved after a tip from the Inland Revenue Service in the United States.

 

The IRS had received "Suspicious Activity Reports" from PayPal, the online payment service, which tax officials traced to McIvor in New Zealand.

 

Other individuals linked to the website living in the United States, Canada and Vietnam are also under investigation, said Kay.

 

According to financial records obtained by the police, Kay alleged McIvor obtained about $2m from the streaming site.

 

The money was allegedly deposited into his bank accounts from international wire transfers, PayPal, and another online payment service called Stripe.

 

As copyright infringement is a crime in the United States, Kay said the simple act of receiving the profits into New Zealand is alleged to be money laundering - the "significant criminal activity" needed for assets to be restrained.

 

"Introducing illicitly-obtained funds into New Zealand constitutes money laundering and police will thoroughly investigate and restrain the assets of those who undertake such activity," said Kay, "regardless of where in the world the crime is committed."

 

Over the years, McIvor invested funds in the cryptocurrency market, selling as well as buying.

 

When the police executed the restraining orders in June, McIvor had around $800,000 sitting in different bank accounts but detectives were unaware of how much cryptocurrency he had - around $6.2m worth.

 

Just a few weeks ago, the police executed new restraining orders on a relative of McIvor's.

 

Another $370,000 in bank funds and a further $470,000 in cryptocurrency, which police allege actually belong to Jaron McIvor as revenue from the alleged online piracy scheme, have been frozen.

 

Kay says the cryptocurrency, in the possession of the Official Assignee for safekeeping, will be sold by order of the High Court until the final decision on whether the assets are forfeited is made. This is to ensure it does not lose value over time.

 

The combined total of frozen bank funds and the cryptocurrency could reach $7.8m.

 

Source

 

 

[Matrix]

 

 

• Police in New Zealand have reportedly seized $6.7m in cryptocurrency and $1.1m in cash as part of a money laundering investigation. According to a local report, a man from Hamilton allegedly received the funds from a US-based movie piracy site he helped to create. PayPal noticed unusual activity on an account linked to the suspect and reported the case to the IRS.

  

  When New Zealand, alleged movie piracy, cash seizures, and a US-based investigation feature in the same sentence, what follows is usually information pertaining to Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom.

   

  It transpires, however, that there are other pretty big players on the radars of authorities in both countries.

   

  Back in June, software programmer Jaron David McIvor received an unwelcome visit from police in New Zealand who were investigating a movie piracy case in the United States. It took at least two visits but Ivor ultimately ended up handing over $1.1 million in cash and the keys to his cryptocurrency accounts containing almost $6.7 million.

   

  The case, which has just been made public by NZHerald, centers around alleged money laundering. According to Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Kay, the head of the Asset Recovery Unit in Waikato, McIvor helped to create a movie piracy site in the United States from which he received an estimated $2m.

   

  It’s reported that the money was deposited into various bank accounts from wire transfers, Stripe, and PayPal. It was the latter who identified “suspicious activity” on an account linked to McIvor and subsequently reported the matter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States.

   

  Since the funds were allegedly generated from crimes that took place in the United States, moving the funds into New Zealand was sufficient to trigger a money-laundering investigation and the seizure of the funds earlier this year.

   

  The name of the pirate platform allegedly co-founded by McIvor has not been named. However, police have confirmed that other individuals are under investigation in the United States, Canada, and Vietnam.

   

  The seizures that began in June in New Zealand came just a month after news broke in the United States that authorities had seized around $4 million worth of cash and cryptocurrency there as part of an investigation into alleged movie piracy.

   

  The two cases are not currently being linked by authorities but they share some similarities. Both involve an alleged pirate movie site in the US, both received a PayPal referral for suspicious activity, and both resulted in the seizure of large volumes of cash and cryptocurrency.

   

  source