Six New Hampshire residents have been charged with wire fraud by a grand jury for utilizing fraudulent church bank accounts to receive from illegal business transactions.
According to an Apr. 18 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, three pleaded guilty. Andrew Spinella, 36, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Apr. 12, followed by Renee Spinella, 24, on Apr. 14, and Nobody, 53, on Apr. 15. Nobody is also known as Richard Paul. Attorneys for these individuals have not responded to news outlets for comment.
“Andrew and Renee Spinella, along with Nobody, confessed to opening and operating bank accounts, using their names or the names of religious organizations, to help their co-defendant run his virtual currency business,” Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in the press release.
In 2016, the six individuals began operating an illegal business that allowed customers to exchange U.S. dollars for virtual currency. They charged a fee, a grand jury told McClatchy News. According to court documents obtained by McClatchy, they are believed to have exchanged a combined $10 million for virtual currency as of 2021, violating federal anti-money laundering laws.
The grand jury said the individuals opened accounts at U.S. banks “either as personal accounts or in the name of purported religious entities.” Names used for the group’s accounts included the Church of the Invisible Hand and the Shire Free Church. Court documents show that the group told financial institutions that the accounts were used to “receive church donations and conduct church outreach.”
According to court documents, Renee Spinella operated accounts in both her name and in the name of the Crypto Church of New Hampshire. She listed her title as “minister,” described the church as an “international ministry,” and said that it “anticipated receiving $100,000 in cash deposits monthly.”
Andrew Spinella opened accounts in his name between 2017 and 2018, while Nobody opened accounts in his name and the name of the Church of the Invisible Hand between 2019 and 2021.
Andrew and Renee Spinella are scheduled for sentencing on July 26, while Nobody is scheduled for sentencing on July 28. The other three individuals are scheduled for trials in November, court officials told McClatchy News.
