Miami Man Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years in Prison for Cryptocurrency and Stock Scam

After a Miami man spent nearly two years defrauding victims of almost $1 million dollars for his investment scheme, he was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in federal prison earlier today. The judge also ordered forfeiture in the amount of $988,895.85.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Ryan James Crawford, aka “Brody,” 30, deceived his investors from June 2020 through March 2022 by posing highly successful licensed stockbroker who had made tens of millions of dollars through similar cryptocurrency and stock investments. Crawford falsely claimed that he had developed an artificial intelligence trading software that “never lost,” and misrepresented the investment as low-risk and high reward, among other things.

Crawford did not return any victim funds, or generate the exponential returns he promised. On some occasions, he simply diverted investors’ funds and cryptocurrency for his own personal use, including to pay for luxury rental cars and gambling at the casino.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and Interim Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), announced the sentence.