Utah Man’s Crypto Scam: 3 Years, $2.9M Losses & a Lesson in Trust 🧠💸

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In the quiet corners of Utah, where the dust of forgotten dreams settles on the prairies, a man named Brian Garry Sewell-whose financial acumen was as dubious as his promises-found himself sentenced to three years in federal prison for orchestrating a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme that left 17 victims clutching their wallets and their dignity. 🤡💸

Summary

  • Brian Garry Sewell, a man of dubious financial acumen, found himself sentenced to three years in federal prison, accompanied by three more years of supervised release, for a scam that left 17 victims with more than just a broken wallet. 🤡💸
  • Sewell also ran Rockwell Capital Management, a venture that converted over $5.4 million in cash to crypto without proper licensing, violating anti-money laundering rules with the flair of a magician who forgot the trick. 🎩🐇
  • Sewell must pay $3.6 million+ in restitution, amid a global surge in cryptocurrency crime, with illicit crypto receipts jumping 162% to $154 billion in 2025. A year where trust became the most volatile asset of all. 📈💔

Brian Garry Sewell, 54, received a 36-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Court records indicate at least 17 victims were affected by the scheme, which operated between December 2017 and April 2024. A period during which dreams were traded for digital dust. 🧹💻

According to prosecutors, Sewell solicited money and cryptocurrency from investors by falsely claiming he possessed the expertise and background necessary to deliver high investment returns. The funds were misused rather than invested as promised, prosecutors stated. A classic case of “investing” in a mirage. 🌫️

Sewell also pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Between March and September 2020, he operated Rockwell Capital Management, converting more than $5.4 million in bulk cash into cryptocurrency for third-party clients, according to federal authorities. Some of those clients were linked to investment fraud schemes and drug trafficking, authorities said. A business model as tangled as a spider’s web. 🕷️

Sewell charged transaction fees while failing to comply with required registration and reporting rules under U.S. anti-money laundering laws, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A man who treated regulations like a toddler treats bedtime. 🛌

U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen ordered the prison terms to run concurrently and directed Sewell to pay more than $3.6 million in restitution related to the wire fraud charge. Additional restitution was ordered to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A lesson in “paying it forward,” albeit with a side of regret. 🙏

“Sewell misled victims by promising returns he could not produce, leaving families to absorb serious financial losses,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls stated. A man who turned promises into potholes. 🚧

The sentencing comes as cryptocurrency-related crime continues to increase globally. Data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis shows illicit cryptocurrency addresses received approximately $154 billion in 2025, representing a 162% increase from the revised $57.2 billion recorded in 2024. A year where the digital frontier became a lawless frontier. 🌐🔥

According to Chainalysis, much of the increase stemmed from state-linked actors, including networks connected to North Korea, Russia, Iran-aligned groups, and Chinese money laundering operations. A global game of “who’s the worst?” with crypto as the currency. 🌍

North Korean-linked hackers were responsible for approximately $2 billion in stolen cryptocurrency during 2025, according to Chainalysis. The firm characterized 2025 as the most damaging period to date for North Korean crypto theft, both in scale and complexity. A cybercriminals’ convention in Pyongyang. 🇵🇰

Nearly $1.5 billion of those losses stemmed from a February exploit targeting cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, which Chainalysis identified as the largest digital asset theft in cryptocurrency history. A heist so big, even the blockchain blushed. 🏦

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2026-01-17 03:28