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A 23-year-old Connecticut man has been charged with laundering $34,379 in stolen checks through MoonPay, buying Bitcoin and later selling it back for dollars, according to an arrest warrant cited by Record-Journal.
Christopher Collins of East Granby was arrested Sept. 24 and is due in court Nov. 17 to enter a plea. He has not been convicted.
According to the warrant, the investigation began after a Wallingford business owner reported that a $12,604 check had been stolen from his mailbox. The victim told police the “pay to” section had been forged and the check had been cashed by someone he did not know.
A second check worth $21,775 was also reported stolen, bringing the total value of the checks allegedly connected to the case to $34,379.
Police traced the $12,604 check to a Wells Fargo account. Banking records showed that the check had been deposited at a Wells Fargo ATM on Main Street in Ansonia on March 17, 2026, with Collins identified as the account holder.
When police questioned Collins on April 4, the warrant said he told investigators he knew nothing about the check.
Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant for the Wells Fargo account and surveillance footage from the Ansonia ATM.
“The results of this search showed that the account holder was a 23-year-old named, Christopher Collins. The check was deposited on 03/17/26 at the Wells Fargo ATM located at 211 Main St, Ansonia, CT.,” the warrant stated.
Bank records reviewed by investigators showed that the Wells Fargo account received the check before money was moved through several channels.
The account attempted to wire $5,000 to a juvenile in Manchester, Connecticut, although Wells Fargo rejected the transfer and returned the funds.
Investigators then found that the account was depleted through what the warrant described as multiple withdrawal methods, including MoonPay payments, ATM withdrawals and Zelle transactions.
An officer described the alleged movement of the funds as part of a broader money laundering pattern.
“I know that subjects who are involved in scams will often transfer the money from the initial receiving account, which in this case was the Christopher Collins Wells Fargo account and then move the funds to another account under their control (MoonPay) to further launder and the hide the stolen funds,” the officer wrote in an affidavit.
The investigation took a cryptocurrency turn after police examined Collins’ MoonPay account.
MoonPay is a cryptocurrency platform that allows users to purchase and sell digital assets using methods including bank transfers and cards.
According to the warrant, investigators identified $9,340 transferred from a Wells Fargo card to MoonPay, along with a $1,000 ATM withdrawal in Hartford. Police identified 21 transactions involving MoonPay between March 17 and March 21.
The money laundering investigation found that funds transferred to MoonPay were used to purchase cryptocurrency or Bitcoin, according to the warrant.
Investigators then traced part of the money through a Chime account belonging to a relative of the juvenile who was also arrested in the case.
The account records showed deposits identified as coming from “Christopher C.”
The relative told investigators that the Chime account was in her name and that she primarily used it for Amazon purchases. According to the affidavit, she said she did not monitor the account balance and had no knowledge of the deposits or the fact that the account’s address had been changed to East Granby.
The warrant said investigators followed the cryptocurrency transactions further and identified a conversion back into US dollars.
“The account records show that the part of Bitcoin at MoonPay was then sold back to MoonPay for U.S. Dollars totaling $7456.35 and then sent to an account at BanCorp Bank,” the warrant explained.
Investigators said the converted cryptocurrency proceeds were ultimately transferred through the banking system before some of the funds were sent back to an account associated with Collins.
A search warrant obtained for the BanCorp account showed that it was held in the name of the juvenile’s relative. The warrant also said the relative acknowledged that the Chime account was shared with another family member.
The Chime account statements reportedly showed deposits from MoonPay followed by transfers to an individual identified as “Christopher C.”
The money laundering case therefore alleges a chain beginning with stolen checks, moving through a Wells Fargo account, cryptocurrency purchases on MoonPay, conversion of Bitcoin back into US dollars and subsequent transfers through Chime and BanCorp.
The allegations remain accusations, and Collins has not been convicted of the charges against him.
His next scheduled court appearance is Nov. 17, when he is expected to enter a plea. If the case proceeds, prosecutors will have to establish the alleged connection between the stolen checks, the movement of the funds and the transactions identified by investigators.
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