The founder of a cryptocurrency exchange whose namesake was tied to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) was found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in a California court.

In a March 12 trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, a jury found AML Bitcoin creator Rowland Marcus Andrade guilty of two felony counts as part of a scheme to defraud investors.

A California jury has found the founder of cryptocurrency exchange AML Bitcoin, Rowland Marcus Andrade, guilty of two felony counts of wire fraud and money laundering.

The verdict, reached on March 12 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, concludes a case that began with criminal charges filed by the Justice Department in June 2020. These charges ran parallel to a civil case filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Andrade and the NAC Foundation, of which he was the founder and CEO.

The SEC's case notably involved political lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who served four years in prison between 2006 and 2010 following his conviction on mail fraud, conspiracy to bribe public officials and tax evasion. A judge agreed to stay the SEC lawsuit in January 2021 until the conclusion of Andrade's criminal case, suggesting that it may now proceed.

The indictment claimed that the NAC Foundation, for which Andrade was the founder and CEO, asserted its cryptocurrency, AML Bitcoin, which ultimately never launched, would fully comply with money laundering and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. Andrade allegedly used these claims to solicit investors for an initial coin offering between 2017 and 2018.

According to the IRS, Andrade misappropriated and diverted more than $2 million in proceeds from the sale of the AML Bitcoin token to be used for the foundation's operations. Instead, he allegedly spent the funds on his personal expenses, including the purchase of two properties in California and luxury vehicles, such as a Rolls-Royce Dawn and a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

"Andrade falsely claimed, among other misrepresentations, that the Panama Canal Authority was close to permitting AML Bitcoin to be used for ships passing through the Panama Canal when no such agreement existed," added the Justice Department in a March 13 statement.

Andrade's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 22. He remains free on a $75,000 bond with some travel restrictions. The sentence for the wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the money laundering count is punishable by a maximum of 10 years.