Former Vice President of Finance at Delphi Digital Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Stealing $4.46 Million

ChainCatcher News: A judge in Hartford, Connecticut, Michael P. Shea, recently sentenced 31-year-old West Hartford resident Dylan Meissner to 48 months in prison for stealing over $4.4 million from his former employer. Meissner worked as the Vice President of Finance at a cryptocurrency research company and had access to the company's cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.

In early 2022, Meissner obtained a loan of 50 Ethereum (approximately $170,000) from the company, claiming he would use the funds to avoid personal cryptocurrency investment losses. However, between February and November 2022, Meissner began misappropriating company funds to cover personal trading losses and concealed his actions with false records. Ultimately, he stole approximately $4,461,828 through this scheme.

Judge Shea also ordered Meissner to pay restitution of $4.63 million, which includes the stolen funds and the unpaid loan. Meissner was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to report to prison on February 21.

According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. Department of Justice did not mention Meissner's previous employer by name in the case, referring to it in court as "Company A" and "a cryptocurrency research company," but Meissner was employed by Delphi Digital at the time of the crime. Meissner's attorney also referenced "Delphi" multiple times in a sentencing memorandum submitted earlier this month, indicating that it is the name of the company.