U.K. man sentenced to 4 years for illegal crypto ATM operation

Olumide Osunkoya has been sentenced to four years in prison for illegally operating cryptocurrency automated teller machines in the United Kingdom.

The 46-year-old faced charges related to running crypto ATMs through his company, GidiPlus, with machines installed at multiple locations across the UK.

According to authorities, Osunkoya set up a £2.5 million ($3.2 million) crypto ATM business despite being denied registration by the Financial Conduct Authority. The FCA filed charges against him in early September 2024, and he pleaded guilty to six counts on September 30, 2024.

On Feb. 28, the court convicted him of unregistered crypto activity, forgery, possession and use of false identity documents, and criminal property possession.

Court documents revealed that Osunkoya operated his unregistered crypto business between December 2021 and March 2022. The FCA noted that he made significant profits, charging markup fees between 30% and 60% on transactions.

“Your decision to continue to operate illegally was an act of deliberate and calculated defiance to the regulator,” His Honour Judge Perrins said during sentencing.

The judge further noted that Osunkoya went to “great lengths to create a false identity,” making his case more than a mere regulatory breach.

“This is the UK’s first criminal sentencing for unregistered crypto activity and sends a clear message: those who flout our rules, seek to evade detection and engage in criminal activity will face serious consequences,” said Therese Chambers, executive director of enforcement at the FCA.

Osunkoya’s guilty sentence comes as the FCA looks to intensify its crackdown on illegal crypto related operations and services. 

The financial markets watchdog mandates all providers seeking to offer digital asset services and products in the country to register. FCA also requires that providers adhere to anti-money laundering guidelines and checks, a fact the agency says the crypto ATM provider failed to comply with.

Per the markets regulator, its crackdown on illegal crypto teller machines saw the number of UK crypto ATM locations on CoinATMRadar fall from 80 in 2022 to zero in 2024. Details on the CoinATMRadar website shows there are currently over 37,200 crypto ATMs in 69 countries. Most of these machines are installed in the United States, which has over 29,700 locations.