The executive director of Stanford’s Future of Digital Currency Initiative, Lawrence Rufrano, is facing federal wire fraud charges following a disability benefits fraud investigation by his former employer, the Federal Reserve. Prosecutors allege Rufrano hid employment at two law firms, three companies and a university while also collecting long-term disability benefits from the Federal Reserve System for five years after departing due to a “purported” mental illness. CoinDesk found at least two of Rufrano’s jobs intersected with cryptocurrency and the blockchain ecosystem. He directed Stanford’s digital currency group and also advised Factom, a now-defunct protocol development firm. Rufrano is also listed as an adviser to Christopher Giancarlo's Digital Dollar Project.