Wood County sheriff recounts seizing kiosk cash as he urges passage of crypto-ATM rules
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Wood County Sheriff Sean Becker told lawmakers he and local investigators used search warrants to seize cash from cryptocurrency kiosks, returned money to victims and shared warrant templates statewide as Assembly Bill 968 passed; Becker said the Senate was expected to act soon.
Sheriff Sean Becker of Wood County told listeners that local investigators have used search warrants on unregulated cryptocurrency kiosks to recover cash taken from scam victims and that he urged state lawmakers to back bills to regulate the machines.
Becker described a three-year pattern in which scammers targeted seniors and others, and an early case in which a victim lost "around $19,000" after putting cash into a kiosk and having an electronic wallet created and seized by a remote scammer. "That cash is still evidence," Becker said, explaining the department's tactic of seeking warrants to open kiosks and recover funds so victims could get them back.
The approach produced mixed legal and commercial responses. Becker said some kiosk owners would not cooperate even after a warrant; the sheriff recounted that one company did not comply and his team ultimately forced entry and removed the machine to recover funds. "They sued us," he said of some operators; after settling one case the office adjusted practice and held recovered funds in evidence until a court ordered distribution.
Becker and Lieutenant Scott Goldberg also testified in Madison in support of Assembly Bill 968 and Senate Bill 975, he said; Becker said Assembly Bill 968 passed the Assembly unanimously and that he expected the Senate to act soon. "We started talking to . . . representatives like, hey, we need to get something going here because people are getting scammed and there's no regulation on, you know, putting in thousands of dollars," he said.
Becker said the kiosk operators charged high fees (he cited user fees of roughly "20 to 30%"), that some operators initially offered refunds but later stopped doing so in Wisconsin, and that the sheriff's template search-warrant language was shared with other agencies across the state.
The bills would aim to regulate kiosk operations to reduce scams, according to Becker's account; Assembly Bill 968 had passed the Assembly, and Becker said he expected the Senate would consider related measures in the coming days. He urged legislative action to protect vulnerable residents while noting law enforcement's limited ability to prosecute operators who are based outside the country.
Becker said the Badger State Sheriffs Association supported the effort and that local investigators will continue to serve warrants and work with district attorneys as cases arise. The sheriff said the next immediate step was Senate consideration and, if approved, transmission to the governor for signature.
No formal vote or local ordinance was taken during the interview.