U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery | U.S. Department of Justice
Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Dylan Meissner has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. The 31-year-old Westport resident was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford for embezzling over $4 million from his former employer.
Court documents reveal that Meissner worked as Vice President of Finance at a cryptocurrency research firm. He had access to the company's cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts. In January 2022, he secured a loan of 50 Ethereum (approximately $170,000) from his employer under the pretense of avoiding personal investment losses. However, between February and November 2022, Meissner diverted company funds to cover his own trading losses and falsified records to conceal his actions. This fraudulent activity resulted in the theft of approximately $4,461,828.
Judge Shea ordered Meissner to pay restitution totaling $4,633,424.99. This amount includes both the stolen funds and the unpaid loan.
Meissner is currently out on a $100,000 bond and must report to prison on February 21.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick prosecuted the case.