Hartford, Connecticut - U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea recently sentenced 31-year-old Westport resident Dylan Meissner to 48 months in prison for stealing more than $4.4 million from his former employer. Meissner worked as the Vice President of Finance at a cryptocurrency research firm and had access to the company's cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.
Meissner obtained a loan of 50 Ethereum (approximately $170,000) from the company in early 2022, claiming he would use the funds to avoid losses from personal cryptocurrency investments. 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 means.
Judge Shea also ordered Meissner to pay restitution of $4,633,424.99, which includes the stolen funds and unpaid loans. Meissner was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to report to prison on February 21.