Chris Janczewski, Former IRS-CI Special Agent, Joins TRM to Lead Global Investigations Team

TRM announced today that former IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) Special Agent Chris Janczewski has joined TRM as Head of Global Investigations, bringing extraordinary investigative expertise to the next generation blockchain intelligence company.

While at IRS-CI, in his role as the lead agent in the Bitfinex hack investigation, he focused on the alleged conspiracy of two individuals to launder $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency stolen during 2016, Mr. Janczewski signed a seizure warrant that recovered $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency, the largest seizure in United States government history.

Mr. Janczewski has led some of the most important cryptocurrency-related criminal investigations including “Welcome to Video”, a worldwide takedown of the largest marketplace for child exploitation material, which resulted in the rescue of 25 children. He has also investigated multiple cryptocurrency exchange hacks attributed to North Korea, resulting in charges against two Chinese cybercriminals for laundering over $100 million in crypto, as well as global efforts to disrupt Hamas, Al Qaeda, and ISIS cryptocurrency terrorist financing networks. He also assisted teammates in the investigation, operations planning, and/or arrests related to the Silk Road Market, AlphaBay Market, and Helix Mixer. Furthermore, Mr. Janczewski, was instrumental in establishing an interagency cryptocurrency strike force with the Washington, D.C. United States Attorney’s Office. 

Mr. Janczewski and his team’s case work and methodologies were cited extensively in DOJ’s “Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework,” and he has briefed policy makers at the highest levels of government on cryptocurrency and cyber issues. In recognition of his contributions, Mr. Janczewski has been the recipient of the The Secretary’s Honor Award, from Secretary of the Treasury (2020), Chief’s Investigative Excellence, from Chief, IRS - Criminal Investigation (2020), and the Meritorious Service Award, from Secretary of the Treasury (2019) among other awards.

At TRM, Mr. Janczewski will lead a team of unprecedented investigative talent from former law enforcement and private sector organizations, including U.S. Secret Service, FBI, Europol, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Refinitiv. 

TRM’s Global Investigations team acts as a horizon scanning unit for crypto crime threats, proactively tracking and investigating exploits such as hacks and scams. This enables TRM customers including crypto exchanges and financial institutions to detect exposure to illicit activity as it happens, and public sector clients including law enforcement agencies to identify trends and emerging threat vectors in the crypto ecosystem. TRM’s global investigations team also provides investigative support as a professional service and crypto crime training courses, including a new investigator certification course.

“I am devoted to making crypto safer and more accessible for everyone. In joining TRM Labs, I will leverage my experience working on challenging cases, and together with equally passionate and skilled teammates, we will assist public and private entities worldwide to drive the sector forward using the best blockchain forensics tools.”

“Chris is one of the world’s most accomplished cryptocurrency investigators; most importantly, he is passionate about our mission and shares our values,” said TRM CEO Esteban Castano. “At TRM Labs we are building a first-class team to innovate on our industry-leading product. We’re thrilled to have Chris joining our mission to build a safer crypto economy for all.”

Read recent reports and analysis by TRM's global investigations team here.