An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE to report suspicious activityReport Crime
Learn facts about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Learn More About ICE
ICE identifies and apprehends removable aliens, detains these individuals and removes illegal aliens from the United States.
Learn more
about ERO
SEVP is a part of the National Security Investigations Division and acts as a bridge for government organizations that have an interest in information on nonimmigrants whose primary reason for coming to the United States is to be students.
Learn more
about SEVP
Learn more about
how to check in
with a local
ICE office
A uniform platform for the filing of electronic G-28s with ERO and the scheduling of legal visits through ERO eFile’s Detention Facility Appointment Scheduler (DFAS).
Learn more about
ERO eFile
Combating cross-border criminal activity is a critical component of the overall safety, security and well-being of our nation.
Learn more about HSI
News about HSI
ICE’s ERO officers uphold United States immigration laws by focusing on individuals who present the greatest risk to national security, public safety or border security.
ICE’s FY 2024 Annual Report
View the annual report
Media Inquiries
In an effort to keep ICE.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated. This information is archived and not reflective of current practice.
TAMPA, Fla. — A joint investigation has led to the return of an indictment charging two people with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Devin Alan Rhoden aka Denny aka Deviinz, 24, of Pinellas Park, and Berman Jerry Nowlin Jr. aka Repulse aka Zayous, 20, of Huntsville, Alabama, each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
Rhoden was an active-duty senior airman stationed at MacDill Air Force Base as a cyber analyst.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case.
According to court documents, in March 2022, Rhoden and Nowlin minted two non-fungible token (NFT) collections on the Solana blockchain named “Undead Apes” and “Undead Lady Apes.” In the weeks following the mint, the average sale price of both NFT collections increased significantly.
In April 2022, Rhoden and Nowlin announced their intention to mint a third NFT collection named “Undead Tombstone.” In the announcement and subsequent advertisements, Rhoden and Nowlin made a number of material misrepresentations to attract victim-investors. On April 19, 2022, Rhoden and Nowlin minted 632 Undead Tombstone NFTs, resulting in approximately $135,000 in cryptocurrency being sent to wallets under their control. Rhoden and Nowlin then abandoned the mint without satisfying several of the representations made to victim-investors, commonly known as a “rug pull.”
Rhoden and Nowlin transferred the fraud proceeds from the Solana blockchain to the Ethereum blockchain, also known as “chain-hopping.” This obfuscation technique is used by cybercriminals and money launderers to make identifying and tracing illicit funds more difficult. Rhoden and Nowlin then used the cryptocurrency to purchase U.S. dollars and transferred the currency into their respective bank accounts. In a matter of weeks, the three NFT collections resulted in Rhoden and Nowlin receiving more than $300,000 in cryptocurrency from hundreds of victim-investors all over the world.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlton C. Gammons will prosecute the case.
For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations, or policies, contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs at ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.
ICE Contact Center
ICE.gov
An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Archived: 2 Charged With NFT Money Laundering, ‘Rug Pull’ of Digital Blockchains – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov)
