Pastor accused of accepting bribes from closed Bitcoin exchange

A New Jersey pastor and former credit union executive has been charged with allegedly accepting bribes from now-defunct bitcoin exchange Coin.mx.

As CoinDesk previously reported, Coin.mx operators Anthony Murgio and Yuri Lebedev were arrested last summer and charged with operating an illegal money services business.

Prior to its closure, Coin.mx used a so-called “Collectors Club” to disguise its existence as an exchange.

Pastor Trevón Gross was indicted yesterday on charges that he accepted bribes worth more than $150,000 to allow Coin.mx to acquire New Jersey-based Hope Federal Credit Union.

The indictment states:

"The defendant, Trevon Gross, chairman of the Hope Federal Credit Union board of directors, helped Murgio, Lebedev and their associates gain control of Hope Federal Credit Union and used this to demand that Murgio transfer money to Gross' bank account."

If convicted of bribery, Gross could face up to 30 years in prison. His trial is set to begin on October 31.