Michigan Based Bitcoin Trader Walks Free After Charges Against Him Are Dropped

By Rishma Banerjee

Yesterday, a Michigan based Bitcoin trader who goes by the name SaltAndPepper (S&P) has had the good fortune of getting the charges against him, dropped, the main reason behind which was the government’s inability to sufficiently build a case.

What was understood was that according to Michigan state law and regulations, and the Act that governs activities of a similar nature, S&P did not quite fulfill the criteria in order to be defined as “money transmitter service”, thus leaving nothing for the federal government to build a case on.

The government was apparently unable to build a case within the stipulated 30 day time period as prescribed by the Speedy Trial Act. As a result, now, since S&P’s attorney filed for a dismissal based on these grounds and was granted, it turns out that S&P will not even have to defend himself in court at all.

S&P had been specifically charged with transmitting money, and he had brokered a large amount of cash while the government’s own evidence as listed in the court documents debunked the so-called deals, that S&P had allegedly been party to. They in their statements said that S&P himself had mentioned that he was not receiving any fee for the arrangements but was merely pointing them in the direction of another individual in a way of lending a helping hand.

Not only is that not money transmission, but that cannot be termed as any sort of crime at all, and it seems quite ridiculous that anything out of ordinary was reported with regards to that transaction.

From all that has been released about the case, it seems that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tried to set him up, but could not succeed in building a case for it, as there was nothing to build that case on, in the first place. This entire event, as it stands appears as if S&P was unfairly indicted for selling bitcoins.