Cryptocurrency firm executive who stole more than $4M from employer sentenced to 4 years in prison

A Westport man who was an executive at a cryptocurrency research firm will spend four years behind bars for stealing more than $4 million from his former employer, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dylan Meissner, 31, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford. He was also ordered to pay
$4.6 million in restitution, which includes the money he stole from his employer and a loan from his employer that he failed to repay.

Meissner’s federal prison term will be followed by two years of supervised release. 

Meissner was the firm’s vice president of finance and had access to its cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts, according to authorities.

In January 2022, Meissner obtained a loan of about $170,000 from his employer in the form of 50 Ethereum, a type of decentralized blockchain cryptocurrency. He stated that he would use the funds “in an attempt to avoid a substantial loss in certain cryptocurrency investments he had made using his personal funds,” according to authorities.

As he attempted to make up for those losses, however, he diverted funds from his employer for his own use, authorities said.

Authorities said Meissner covered his tracks by making false entries in the firm’s records. 

He was terminated by his employer in November 2022. The name of his employer was not disclosed in court documents.

Over the summer, Meissner pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Meissner has been released in lieu of a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to report to prison on Feb. 21, 2025.