Charles Shrem IV (born November 25, 1989)[1] is an American entrepreneur and bitcoin advocate.[2] He co-founded the now-defunct startup company BitInstant, and is a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation. In 2014 he was sentenced to two years in prison for aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money-transmitting business related to the Silk Road marketplace.[3] He was released from prison in 2016.