Westport Man Sentenced In $4.5 Million Cryptocurrency Theft: Feds

WESTPORT, CT — Dylan Meissner, a 31-year-old Westport resident, was sentenced this week to four years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for stealing nearly $4.5 million from his former employer.

Meissner pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud, and is currently free on bond. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford, and he is required to report to federal prison on Feb. 21, 2025.

According to court documents and statements, Meissner was employed at an unnamed cryptocurrency research firm as Vice President of Finance with access to the firm’s cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.

In approximately January 2022, Meissner obtained a 50 Ethereum (approximately $170,000) loan from his employer, stating that he would use the funds in an attempt to avoid a substantial loss in certain cryptocurrency investments he had made using his personal funds. Then, from February 2022 until his termination in November 2022, in continued attempts to counteract significant personal trading losses, Meissner fraudulently diverted his employer’s funds to his own use and covered up his conduct through false entries in the firm’s books and records. Through this scheme, Meissner stole approximately $4,461,828 from his employer, according to prosecutors.

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Shea also ordered Meissner to pay restitution of $4,633,424.99, which includes the money he stole from his employer and the loan he failed to repay.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.