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Hong Kong Busts Money Laundering Ring Using Tether to Wash Millions
16.7.2021
Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested four people suspected of money laundering a total of $155 million through cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts. The city’s customs agency said this was its first case in which virtual money had been used to launder dirty cash. Money Laundering...
Shanghai Law Enforcement Officials, Scholars Talk Cryptocurrency
14.7.2021
Representatives of law enforcement agencies and academia in Shanghai held a seminar devoted to cryptocurrencies, regulations, and the combating of crypto-related crime. Determining “the legal attributes of virtual currency” was among the main topics at the forum which also focused...
Police Set New UK Record Seizing £180 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency
13.7.2021
Britain’s Metropolitan Police have seized a staggering £180 million in cryptocurrency as part of a money laundering investigation. The announcement comes just weeks after Scotland Yard confiscated £114 million in crypto, breaking the previous record. UK Police Discover £180...
Ukraine Uncovers Country’s Largest Illegal Mining Farm to Date
10.7.2021
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has located a massive coin minting facility that was illegally connected to the power grid in Vinnytsia. Law enforcement officials claim it’s the largest underground crypto mining farm they have found so far. Ukraine Seizes Thousands of Video Game...
EU Mulls AML Authority and New Rules for Crypto Transfers, Documents Suggest
8.7.2021
The European Union is preparing to set up an anti-money laundering agency to coordinate national supervisory authorities. According to a media report based on EU documents, the bloc also plans to impose new rules to increase transparency for cryptocurrency transfers. Europe Steps Up Anti-Money...
Financial Watchdog FinCEN Recruits First-Ever Chief Digital Currency Advisor
7.7.2021
Following the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) explaining the misuse of cryptocurrencies is a national priority last week, the bureau announced on Tuesday it hired its first-ever chief digital currency advisor. FinCEN’s acting director Michael Mosier detailed that Michele Korver...
FinCEN Names Misuse of Cryptocurrencies a National Priority
4.7.2021
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has named “cybercrime, including relevant cybersecurity and virtual currency considerations” a national priority. In particular, the Treasury is concerned about the “misuse of virtual assets that exploits and undermines their...
Ukraine Shuts Down Illegal Mining Farm With 150 Rigs
3.7.2021
Law enforcement officials in Ukraine have closed down a cryptocurrency mining farm that was minting digital coins using stolen electricity. The facility had more than 150 mining rigs that have been confiscated during a raid in Chernihiv region. Authorities in Ukraine Seize Over 150 ASICs From...
SEC appoints New Jersey Attorney General as director of enforcement
1.7.2021
The SEC has appointed New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal as the Director of the Division of Enforcement
Europol Cracks Down on Vitae Belgian Ponzi Scheme, Recovers €1.5 Million in Crypto
28.6.2021
Europol, the EU law agency, cracked down on Vitae, a Belgian Ponzi scheme. Europol raided 17 locations related to the website, promoted as a social media site with its own cryptocurrency. The company operated in Switzerland under the name VITAE AG. Law enforcement officials recovered €1.1...
Africrypt Directors Deny Allegations They Fleeced Clients as Doubts Over Actual Value Missing Bitcoins Grows
27.6.2021
According to new reports, Raees and Ameer Cajee, the two young directors of the recently collapsed crypto investment firm, Africrypt, have “categorically denied” allegations they fleeced clients. Instead, the brothers insist their company is the victim of a hack while also claiming that...
US Man Selling Bitcoin Without License Faces 5 Years in Prison
26.6.2021
A New Orleans resident has been charged for selling bitcoin without registering with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). If convicted, the seller may receive a maximum of five years in prison, a maximum $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory...
US Regulators Have Imposed $2.5 Billion Penalties on Crypto Firms and Individuals
25.6.2021
A new report shows that U.S. regulators have imposed fines and penalties totaling $2.5 billion on crypto firms and individuals so far. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has imposed the most fines, followed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Meanwhile, the U.S....
DOJ Seeks Trial Attorney With Extensive Blockchain and Crypto Knowledge
24.6.2021
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a trial attorney to help with the federal executive agency’s Digital Currency Initiative. The DOJ posted a job listing on the justice.gov web portal and the hired individual is expected to serve as an “expert on digital currency...
FCA Warns 111 Crypto Firms Are Operating Illegally in UK — Says ‘This Is a Very Real Risk’
24.6.2021
U.K.’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has warned that 111 companies are offering crypto services in the country without proper registration. “This is a very real risk so we are worried about that,” said the regulator’s head of enforcement...
Abkhazia Shuts Down 8 Crypto Farms Amid Ongoing Crackdown on Mining
16.6.2021
Authorities in Abkhazia, the partially recognized South Caucasus republic, have discovered and closed down eight crypto mining farms in just two weeks. Since the beginning of June, law enforcement agents have disconnected more than 300 mining devices from the grid and fined an operator. Over...
Tunisian Minister Says He Plans to ‘Decriminalize’ the Buying of Bitcoin
16.6.2021
After reports that Tanzanian President Samia Hassan had asked her finance chief to look into cryptocurrencies, Tunisia has become the latest African country to signal a willingness to embrace digital assets. According to remarks attributed to Ali Kooli, Tunisia’s economy minister, the North...
US Senator Urges Treasury Secretary to ‘Make Significant Revisions’ to FinCEN’s Crypto Proposal
13.6.2021
U.S. Senator Pat Toomey has urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to “make significant revisions” to the proposed crypto regulation by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the planned adoption of the guidance issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Senator...
FBI Seizes 800 Beverly Hills Safety Deposit Boxes With $86M, Attorneys Claim Fed’s Raid ‘Unconstitutional’
12.6.2021
The Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) is under fire for an alleged unconstitutional seizure of 800 safety deposit boxes in Beverly Hills. According to reports, the FBI confiscated $86 million in cash, jewelry, and thousands of gold and silver bars. Box holders and their lawyers are calling out...
India Probes Cryptocurrency Exchange Wazirx in Chinese Money Laundering Case
12.6.2021
India’s Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has reportedly sent a notice to Wazirx, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in India, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, (FEMA). The investigation was initiated “on the basis of the ongoing money-laundering investigation into...