Cryptocurrency Facilitates Criminal Activity in High-Profile Disappearance

Experts explain how digital currency is the modern tool for moving large sums of money anonymously

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has drawn attention to the role of cryptocurrency in criminal activity. Ransom notes demanding Bitcoin payments have been sent to media outlets, highlighting how crypto enables person-to-person transactions and global fund transfers that are difficult to trace. Experts say criminals use multiple wallets and addresses to obscure their identities, making cryptocurrency the currency of choice for illicit activities like the Guthrie case.

Why it matters

The Guthrie case illustrates the growing use of cryptocurrency by criminals to facilitate activities like extortion, money laundering, and human trafficking. As cryptocurrency adoption increases, understanding its potential misuse is crucial for law enforcement and policymakers to address emerging threats to public safety.

The details

Cryptocurrency operates on a decentralized network or blockchain, allowing for anonymous, peer-to-peer transactions. Experts explain that every crypto transaction is tracked, but criminals have found ways to obscure their identities by using multiple wallets and addresses. This makes it extremely difficult to trace the flow of funds, even as the transactions are recorded on the public ledger.

  • On February 12, 2026, ransom notes demanding Bitcoin payments were sent to media outlets regarding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

The players

Robert Hockensmith

A cryptocurrency expert who works with AZ Money Guy.

Eric Foster

A cybersecurity and cryptocurrency expert, and the CEO of Tenex.AI.

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What they’re saying

“Any time you buy it, any time you sell it, any time you use it to buy a product or service, any time you connect it or take it to another place, it is identified as you touching it. That's how it works.”

— Robert Hockensmith, Cryptocurrency Expert (azfamily.com)

“If you think about, for example, ID theft, cybercriminals might literally steal someone's identity and that might include their access to something like Coinbase and then use that victim's Coinbase to receive stolen funds and move it somewhere else, same way they used to do it with wire transfers.”

— Eric Foster, Cybersecurity and Cryptocurrency Expert, CEO of Tenex.AI (azfamily.com)

What’s next

Law enforcement and policymakers are expected to increase scrutiny and regulation of cryptocurrency transactions to address the growing threat of its use in criminal activities.

The takeaway

The Guthrie disappearance highlights how cryptocurrency has become a tool of choice for criminals to move large sums of money anonymously and evade detection. As crypto adoption grows, addressing its potential misuse is crucial to protect public safety.