The Crypto Six case will go to trial on December 6, 2022, and of all six defendants, only Free Talk Live radio host Ian Freeman has not accepted a plea deal. According to the most recent hearing, Freeman’s legal counsel filed a Daubert motion seeking to exclude the government’s expert testimony, arguing that evidence of private firms and closed-source software used in the blockchain analysis did not meet Daubert standards. .
Crypto 6 Trial Scheduled To Begin Dec. 6, Prosecutors Drop All Fraud Charges
About 20 months ago, on March 16, 2021, federal agents raided the Free Talk Live studio, Bitcoin Embassy and Shire Free Church in Keene, New Hampshire. At the time, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged six New Hampshire residents with operating a cryptocurrency exchange business without proper permits. The DOJ’s Crypto Six indictment alleges that “the defendants knowingly operated a cryptocurrency business in violation of federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations.”
Since then, of all six individuals, Ian Freeman, Free Talk Live radio host and libertarian activist, is the only person left in the fight. Freeman is taking the case to a jury, and the trial is set to begin on December 6, 2022. Freeman told Bitcoin.com News this week that prosecutors are withdrawing all fraud charges against Freeman ahead of trial. He also said that jury selection will begin on the sixth and that the trial will begin immediately after jury selection, which is expected to take two weeks.
Freeman discussed the matter with Bitcoin.com News and explained that his legal team filed a Daubert motion to exclude the testimony of the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert’. Because the U.S. government relies on private companies and closed-source software, it does not meet the Daubert standard of proof, he said.
“The feds then tried to redo the ‘expert’ analysis using blockchain.com, a researcher they called ‘open source’ even though it was open for public use, not open source,” he said. “This is a clear admission that they knew Chainalysis’ findings would not pass muster and would be rejected as evidence in court,” he said.
The Free Talk Live host continued:
Additionally, my attorney questioned the FBI’s top blockchain ‘expert’, Erin Montgomery, who admitted she wasn’t even a computer scientist. He has a liberal arts degree and admitted that anyone could do what he does, which disqualifies him as an “expert.” The prosecution will be barred from presenting him as any expert in court.
According to thecrypto6.com website, supporters will hold a protest in front of the courthouse on December 12, 2022. Mainstream media is expected to attend, and Freeman told our news desk that the team is trying to get the audio tape of the trial online. “Right now, we’re waiting on the judge’s approval on that,” Freeman said.
See the summary at freekeene.com for more information about the dropped charges and remaining charges here.
What do you think about the “Crypto Six” case and how is Freeman left the only one to take the case to court? Let us know what you think about this topic in the comments section below.
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