An Athens, Tennessee, woman has been implicated in a federal forfeiture warrant as a “money mule” who helped bilk a Minnesota-based nonprofit out of at least $2.3 million in a complex online romantic money laundering scheme.

According to a complaint filed April 2 in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga, the federal government was granted a warrant for the seizure of three cryptocurrency accounts opened in the name of Athens resident Linda Winder. Winder is not facing any charges in the case.

The complaint was in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving the laundering of funds stolen from a nonprofit organization victimized in a business email compromise.

The alleged crime resulted in a loss of at least $2.3 million. The victim in the case is an unnamed nonprofit in Minnesota providing transportation and home-based services for people with disabilities across the state.

(READ MORE: Business Bulletin: How romance scams work and what to watch out for)

The scheme surfaced in October 2023 when a family member of Winder’s reported finding an envelope in her home containing a series of deposit slips from cryptocurrency kiosks totaling $162,730 worth of Bitcoin, FBI agent Sean Reid said in a federal affidavit filed April 2. Since Winder’s husband died in 2017, the family member told authorities, many people contacted her online, identifying themselves as single men.

In 2019, Winder had begun an online relationship with a person going by the name of “Joe Milano,” the affidavit said. The family member reported Winder had wired money to Milano as part of a romance scam and was concerned she was also laundering money.

Winder participated as a “money mule,” Reid said in the affidavit. A money mule is someone who transfers illegally acquired money on behalf of or at the direction of someone else. Money mules are often recruited through an online romance or an online job scheme to move money electronically through bank accounts. The mules are often asked to use an established bank account or open a new bank account to receive money from someone they have never met in person.

“In this instance, the money mule acting on behalf of a person or persons unknown received multiple deposits of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of several months,” Reid said in the affidavit. “She then laundered by transferring to a Coinbase account, one of many financial accounts used in the laundering of these stolen funds and converting to cryptocurrency.

“The FBI believes that over the course of Winder’s relationship with Milano, between 2021 and 2023, Winder participated in the laundering of no less than $2.3 million,” Reid said.

A message seeking comment left for Winder on a phone listed in her name was not returned.

Rachelle Barnes, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chattanooga, did not respond to questions asked by phone and email seeking details about the case.

In a series of interviews with the FBI, Winder and her family described a scheme in which Milano gradually coaxed Winder to send him money, initially from her own funds, in increasing amounts, before eventually directing Winder to open at least one account at a cryptocurrency exchange, Reid said.

Winder took out several personal loans totaling $150,000 and withdrew about $33,000 of her own money and sent it to Milano. Winder acknowledged she had transacted hundreds of thousands of dollars through her Wells Fargo Bank account on Milano’s behalf, authorities said.

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The FBI said Winder used accounts at several financial institutions to transfer money defrauded from other parties, including unknown third parties, Reid’s affidavit said. Winder then forwarded the money, at Milano’s behest, to her cryptocurrency account or through cryptocurrency kiosks to a cryptocurrency exchange. Some money was sent to other financial institutions or people.

Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

Key Takeaways:

• Bitcoin holds $71,587 on April 12, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time; range-bound action signals weak trend strength.
• Tradingview data shows RSI 56, ADX 16; neutral momentum limits breakout conviction.
• Bitcoin faces resistance near $73.5K; a break above $74K or below $70K sets the next move.

Bitcoin Chart Outlook

On the daily timeframe, bitcoin continues to trade within a well-defined range between approximately $65,000 and $76,000, with current price action pressing uncomfortably close to the upper boundary. Sitting near $72,000 to $73,000, the price is flirting with resistance rather than building a convincing breakout structure.

Momentum has slowed notably following the rebound from $65,000, suggesting that upward energy is losing steam. This positioning leaves bitcoin in a less-than-ideal spot, where upside is capped nearby while meaningful support sits several thousand dollars lower.

The four-hour chart introduces a more cautious tone, highlighted by a sharp rejection near $73,720 that produced a strong bearish candle. Since then, price structure has shifted into a pattern of lower highs, indicating short-term weakness creeping into the market. Resistance is now clearly defined between $72,500 and $73,500, while support rests between $70,500 and $71,000. A move below $70,000 would likely intensify downside momentum. For now, bitcoin appears to be navigating a corrective phase rather than building sustained directional strength.

On the one-hour timeframe, bitcoin has settled into a narrow consolidation around $71,500 following a sharp drop. The subsequent bounce has been notably weak, reflecting a lack of aggressive participation from buyers. Intraday resistance is seen between $72,000 and $72,500, while support lies near $71,300 and extends down to $70,500. The range-bound behavior suggests equilibrium, but not the kind that inspires confidence—more of a stalemate than a setup for decisive movement.

Oscillators reinforce the broader theme of indecision, with the overall summary remaining neutral. The relative strength index ( RSI) at 56 reflects balanced conditions, while the Stochastic at 86 points toward overextended territory.

The commodity channel index (CCI) at 94 remains elevated yet neutral, and the average directional index (ADX) at 16 confirms weak trend strength. The Awesome oscillator at 2,351 stays neutral, while momentum (10) at 4,679 signals waning strength. The moving average convergence divergence ( MACD) (12, 26) level at 708 provides a rare constructive signal, though it stands somewhat alone in an otherwise mixed field.

The moving averages (MAs) summary also lands in neutral territory, but the details reveal a clear split. Short-term indicators are supportive, with the exponential moving average (EMA) (10) at $70,922 and simple moving average (SMA) (10) at $70,456 below the current price, alongside the EMA (20) at $70,102 and SMA (20) at $69,186. The EMA (30) at $69,953 and SMA (30) at $69,864, as well as the EMA (50) at $70,751 and SMA (50) at $69,170, reinforce this constructive tone. However, the longer-term picture is less forgiving, with the EMA (100) at $75,326 and SMA (100) at $75,466 above the price, followed by the EMA (200) at $83,405 and SMA (200) at $87,873. In plain terms, bitcoin has a short-term footing, but it is still staring up at a rather imposing ceiling.

Bull Verdict:

If bitcoin manages to reclaim and hold above the $73,500 to $74,000 region, it would invalidate the recent sequence of lower highs and reestablish upward momentum on the lower timeframes. Coupled with supportive short-term moving averages and a constructive moving average convergence divergence ( MACD), such a move could shift sentiment quickly and open the door toward retesting the upper boundary of the broader range near $76,000. In that scenario, this market stops hesitating and starts acting like it remembers its reputation.

Bear Verdict:

Failure to hold the $70,500 to $71,000 support zone, particularly a decisive break below $70,000, would confirm increasing downside pressure across multiple timeframes. With weak momentum, a high stochastic %K, and longer-term moving averages acting as overhead resistance, the path of least resistance could tilt lower toward the $69,000 to $70,000 region. At that point, bitcoin would no longer be indecisive—it would simply be giving up ground, one support level at a time.

Key Points

• Most experts consider crypto to be a legitimate asset class.

• That doesn’t mean every asset in the class is equally legitimate or worthwhile.

Just a few years ago, many financial advisors wouldn’t touch crypto. That era is now over; according to a 2026 survey conducted by Bitwise, an asset manager, 32% of the financial advisors they polled allocated crypto in client accounts in 2025, and 99% planned to maintain or increase their exposure.

But crypto isn’t a monolith, and not all crypto assets are equally legitimate as part of a long-term portfolio, so let’s take a look at what’s legitimate and sort it from what’s sketchy.

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The professionals have spoken

Among professional investment advisors who allocate on behalf of their clients, 83% keep their exposure under 5%, with an allocation of 2% as a starting point. The takeaway is that the relatively new legitimacy of crypto as an asset class is not an excuse to let it become your entire portfolio.

But which assets are the most widely accepted?

The answer to that question is Bitcoin, (CRYPTO: BTC) as it has the deepest liquidity in crypto and the biggest regulated vehicles for investment, like spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Ethereum and Solana are also generally endorsed as legitimate investments, with each backed by spot ETFs and growing institutional interest.

But below those three, professional interest drops off fast, and for most investors, yours should too.

Where to draw the line

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana share traits that earn them a place in long-term investment portfolios. Smaller altcoins, ecosystem tokens, and meme coins generally do not have those traits, and you probably shouldn’t be investing in them heavily, if at all.

Volatility alone doesn’t disqualify an asset or make it illegitimate. The disqualifier for those smaller tokens is most typically their lack of a strong investment thesis.

So if you’re considering an investment in crypto, keep it fairly small, anchor it in Bitcoin, and avoid speculative tokens.

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Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.