Why I Left Law Enforcement to Join a Crypto Kiosk Company

When I tell people I left a career in law enforcement to work for a cryptocurrency kiosk company, the reaction is almost always the same: Why?

The answer is simple. I’ve been a cryptocurrency enthusiast for years, and that personal interest eventually intersected with my career.

In 2013, I became a Special Agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation. Nearly a decade later, I joined DCI’s Cyber Crimes Unit, focusing on investigations involving cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. As I developed expertise in blockchain intelligence, I was frequently called on by other agencies to assist with complex cases. These investigations are highly specialized, and many state and local agencies lack dedicated cybercrime resources or experience with digital assets. Helping fellow investigators navigate that territory was some of the most rewarding work of my career and it revealed something important: the biggest challenge wasn’t a lack of effort by law enforcement. It was the disconnect between a rapidly evolving industry and the investigators working to understand it.

I’ve Seen Both Sides of This Problem

During my time at WI DOJ-DCI, I traced illicit digital assets across blockchain networks and helped build local agencies’ capacity to leverage blockchain intelligence, identifying suspects, following the flow of funds, and, when possible, seizing illicit assets. I conducted training sessions for investigators across Wisconsin and advised policymakers on virtual currency legislation.

The same challenge kept coming up: investigators tackling sophisticated crypto cases without direct connections to industry, the right tools, or a clear path to developing the knowledge these investigations require. That’s what led me to consider how I could keep supporting law enforcement from within the industry itself.

CoinFlip Was Already Doing the Right Things

What drew me to CoinFlip was its reputation among law enforcement as a responsible operator. After joining, I found that reputation well-earned.

Our Chief Compliance Officer is a former federal prosecutor with experience leading financial intelligence operations at Morgan Stanley. Our Global Head of AML, General Counsel, and I bring decades of prosecutorial, regulatory, and investigative experience to bear on financial crimes that grow more sophisticated every year. These aren’t just impressive titles; they reflect a deliberate decision to hire people who’ve worked financial crimes from the other side.

That same instinct shows up in how the company operates. CoinFlip has been responding to subpoenas, contributing to SARs processes, and sharing information with the FBI’s IC3 since long before I arrived – not because they had to, but because they understood that being a responsible operator meant being a useful one to investigators.

I am glad to build on what’s already been established.

What This Work Looks Like

I serve as CoinFlip’s point of contact for law enforcement at every level: local, state, federal, and international. When an investigator is working a case that touches one of our kiosks, they have a direct line to someone who speaks their language and can move quickly.

But this isn’t just reactive work. It’s about building relationships before there’s a case, getting in front of investigators, prosecutors, and policymakers to show how operators like CoinFlip can be genuine partners in fighting fraud. That means participating in industry events, monitoring emerging fraud typologies, and coordinating investigative approaches. Government impersonation, employment fraud, romance scams… these are well-documented, devastating, and addressable when industry and law enforcement work together.

Access Matters So We Have to Get It Right

Crypto kiosks offer real access to people for ordinary, legitimate purposes: buying digital assets with cash, sending funds to family, and participating in the financial system. Building structured partnerships with law enforcement is how this industry earns and keeps public trust.

I spent years on the other side of the table learning what investigators need from this industry to be effective. Now I get to put that to work for consumers and communities.