A Montana man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy that operated in the Eastern District of Texas. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Randall V. Rule, 73, formerly from Kalispell, Montana, was convicted by a jury on charges including money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act after a three-day trial. On September 17, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle handed down a sentence of 120 months in federal prison.
“Special Agents from the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service did tremendous work in their response to the victimization of our citizens, some who lost their life savings. Agents were relentless in their resolve to seek justice for victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Let scammers and those who facilitate their crimes by laundering the criminal proceeds be on notice: You cannot hide your crimes by using crypto currency; we will find you and we will prosecute you.”
“Sophisticated money laundering networks, such as the one in this case, are the path for victims’ funds to be sent to transnational criminal organizations,” said U.S. Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Brad Schley. “We must continue to dismantle these networks and assist victims with recovery of their losses and the administration of justice. We are honored to work with the team of tremendous prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office in the EDTX, and I commend them for their dedication and work in seeking a just result in this case.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not tolerate attacks on the United States Mail. These defendants weaponized the mail system to carry out fraud and money laundering, and they have been held accountable,” said Kai Pickens, Inspector in Charge, Fort Worth Division. “Postal Inspectors will relentlessly protect the American public and the integrity of the mail system. I commend our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service, for working decisively with us to stop the illicit flow of funds and secure justice for the victims.”
Court documents revealed that Rule conspired with Gregory C. Nysewander of Irmo, South Carolina, along with others, to launder proceeds from various fraud schemes—including romance scams and business email compromises—by converting them into cryptocurrency before transferring them to accounts controlled by other co-conspirators both domestically and abroad.
The conspirators disguised fraudulent transactions through false labeling such as calling wire transfers “loan repayments” or “advertising.” Nysewander produced videos instructing others on how to package cash shipments without detection for laundering purposes. They also misrepresented facts when opening accounts or communicating with financial institutions.
Over $2.4 million was laundered during this scheme, which led many victims to lose their life savings and resulted in bankruptcy for a multi-generational family business.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative focused on combating illegal immigration as well as dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations by leveraging resources from agencies like OCDETFs (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The investigation was conducted by both the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service while Assistant U.S. Attorneys D. Ryan Locker, Dustin Farahnak, and Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld handled prosecution duties.
