TYLER, Texas—A Montana man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that laundered over $2.4 million in criminal proceeds through cryptocurrency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Randall V. Rule, 73, formerly of Kalispell, Montana, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, after being found guilty by a jury of money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act.
According to evidence presented in court, Rule and co-conspirator Gregory C. Nysewander conspired to launder proceeds from various fraudulent schemes, including romance scams, business email compromises, and real estate scams, by converting the funds into cryptocurrency. The cryptocurrency was then sent to accounts controlled by foreign and domestic co-conspirators.
To avoid detection, the conspirators instructed victims and co-conspirators to label wire transfers falsely as "loan repayments" or "advertising." The scheme successfully laundered more than $2.4 million, resulting in victims losing their life savings and the bankruptcy of a multi-generational family business.
"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," said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
