The office of the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut recently announced that Lyell Champagne Jr., a resident of Missouri, has been sentenced to three years of federal prison for fraudulent acts involving cryptocurrencies and tax crimes. The investigation into this case was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). From March 2021 to April 2022, Champagne, along with co-conspirator Kristian Gupta, attempted to steal funds from victims' bank accounts by obtaining online credentials and transferring them to their controlled cryptocurrency accounts. Furthermore, they tried to lure bank staff to participate, but a secret investigation thwarted their plans. Additionally, Champagne, between 2018 and 2021, submitted false tax returns on behalf of a nonexistent company, “ShireberkInternational”, and as a result, received an unjust refund of $34,449,935. On June 11, Champagne admitted to charges of bank fraud and false claims. His accomplice, Gupta, pleaded guilty in April and will be sentenced on September 19.