The murder-for-hire case of Ron Ilg, seems like it was pulled directly from a Netflix documentary, but this is a real life case involving cryptocurrency and multiple FBI agents. Beth Bisbee (Director Product Strategy, Chainalysis Government Solutions) leads the discussion with the Supervisory Special Agent, Forensic Analyst and Special Agent that were tasked with this complex and riveting case. This FBI-led investigation involving a murder-for-hire case facilitated via the dark web, featuring cryptocurrency payments, seed phrases on sticky pads, guns, cash and biometric safes. The team details their journey, from the initial tip-off involving a custody dispute and an alleged plot to harm a spouse, to navigating the complexities of tracing cryptocurrency on the blockchain. The discussion zeros in on how the newly created Virtual Currency Response Team played a critical role in unraveling this case by leveraging blockchain analysis despite the perpetrator's attempts to obfuscate transactions using mixers. With cooperative efforts involving international exchanges and Bitcoin ATMS. This gripping discussion highlights how the FBI team unraveled the complexities of the case using modern investigative techniques involving blockchain forensic analysis and traditional detective methods combined to thwart a potentially tragic crime. Minute-by-minute episode breakdown 2 | FBI Agents Entrance To Crypto By Using It To Investigate Darknet Markets 5 | Exploring the Murder-For-Hire Case of Ron Ilg 8 | Introduction of the Virtual Currency Response (VCR) Team 12 | Major Breakthrough in Case When Reconstituting Crypto Wallets 17 | Connecting Intelligence From Exchanges and Bitcoin ATMs 22 | Main Accelerants in the Case That Drove Huge Results 25 | Finding the Seed Phrase Safe at Ron’s House Changed Dynamic of Case 29 | Challenges and Hurdles That Arose During the Investigation 33 | The FBI Leverages Previous Murder-For-Hire Case in Investigation 35 | Analyzing Ron Ilg’s Plea Deal and Sentencing 37 | The Biggest Takeaways for the FBI in this Crypto Investigation Related resources Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key. Website: Mission First: To protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the U.S. Press Release: Former Spokane Neonatologist Pleads Guilty in Plot to Hire Multiple Hitmen to Kidnap His Estranged Wife and Assault a Former Colleague Report Online Scams: Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. Blog: The 2025 Geography of Crypto Report (Download Now!) Blog: DOJ Seizes $15 Billion in Bitcoin as U.S. and U.K. Target Massive Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Network Blog: How Coinbase’s Proactive Fentanyl Investigation Sprint Disrupted Criminal Networks with Chainalysis Intelligence YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain Speakers on today’s episode Beth Bisbee (Director Product Strategy, Chainalysis Government Solutions) Supervisory Special Agent (SSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ) Special Agent (SA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ) Forensic Analyst, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ) This website may contain links to third-party sites that are not under the control of Chainalysis, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively “Chainalysis”). Access to such information does not imply association with, endorsement of, approval of, or recommendation by Chainalysis of the site or its operators, and Chainalysis is not responsible for the products, services, or other content hosted therein. Our podcasts are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Listeners should consult their own advisors before making these types of decisions. Chainalysis has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. Chainalysis does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Chainalysis. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Chainalysis employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
