1st Circuit Holds No 4th Amendment Privilege for Crypto Accounts

Those who thought their cryptocurrency transactions would remain anonymous or a secret from the Internal Revenue Service should think again according to Law360.

Nearly 50 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court held that information customers voluntarily provide to banks is not subject to Fourth Amendment privacy protections, and therefore can be disclosed to law enforcement. In September of 2024 him, in James Harper v. Daniel Werfel, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit expanded this principle to cryptocurrency exchanges.

This ruling, as well as those of various district courts, confirms the ability of the IRS to identify taxpayers engaged in financial transactions involving cryptocurrency exchanges. Much as for taxpayers decades ago who believed their use of Swiss bank accounts would allow them to conceal their income, this ruling is another wake-up call for any who may still have similar thoughts about using digital asset currency exchanges.

The issuance of John Doe summonses remains one of the strongest tools in the IRS' enforcement arsenal. These summonses allow the IRS to obtain information on large numbers of taxpayers in one fell swoop. 

In Recent Years, The IRS Has Issued Such Summonses To
Major Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Such As Coinbase,
Kraken And Circle Financial, Seeking Taxpayer Information.

The First Circuit's decision in Harper upheld the IRS' right to issue John Doe summonses to cryptocurrency exchanges, finding that cryptocurrency users do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in their records held by exchanges.

While the use of John Doe summonses isn't new, this is the first time a court of appeals has expressly approved their use. For years, federal prosecutors have been champing at the bit by ramping up investigations of and enforcement against taxpayers who use digital assets to evade tax liabilities.

Harper should serve as a signal to taxpayers and cryptocurrency exchanges alike that the IRS-CI will not be letting up anytime soon.

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