Share this article
Arizona Bitcoin Trader in Custody Following Police Raid
A bitcoin advocate and trader in Arizona remains in custody after his home was raided last week by federal officials.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 1:16 p.m. Published Apr 28, 2017, 8:01 p.m.
A bitcoin advocate and trader in Arizona remains in custody after his home was raided last week by federal officials.
Thomas Costanzo was arrested on 20th April during the raid after law enforcement discovered that he was in possession of ammunition – a reported violation of an agreement stemming from a prior conviction.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Costanzo, who also goes by the name "Morpheus Titania", operates a bitcoin website, through which he offers trading services, as well as ATM and mining products.
Court documents obtained by CoinDesk reveal that US Magistrate Michelle Burns has ordered Costanzo to stay in custody until trial following a hearing held today. According to the document, Costanzo has been deemed a "serious flight risk", with Burns citing his past criminal history and "a record of prior failure to appear in court as ordered", according to the document.
As previously reported, officials, led by the Department of Homeland Security, obtained a search warrant that granted them permission to seize assets including the cryptocurrencies bitcoin, ethereum and dash, as well as software related to digital currency. However, to date, Costanzo has only been charged for unlawful possession of ammunition.
Maria Weidner, a public defender representing Costanzo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gavel image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Dogecoin Hovers Near Key Support as Fed Easing Fails to Spark Risk Rally
Despite elevated trading activity, Dogecoin faces resistance near $0.1425, and its future movement is likely dependent on broader market sentiment.
What to know:
- The Federal Reserve's 25-basis-point rate cut has led to mixed market reactions, with Dogecoin trading quietly within its established range.
- Dogecoin's price remains stable between $0.13 and $0.15, with whale wallets accumulating significant amounts of the cryptocurrency.
- Despite elevated trading activity, Dogecoin faces resistance near $0.1425, and its future movement is likely dependent on broader market sentiment.
Top Stories
