November 15, 2024 at 08:04PM Larry Dean Harmon, 41, was sentenced to three years in prison for operating the Grams dark-web search engine and the Helix cryptocurrency laundering service, which handled over 354,000 bitcoins. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy, and faces significant financial penalties, including a $60 million fine. ### Meeting Takeaways … Read more
November 15, 2024 at 11:39AM Ilya Lichtenstein, who stole 119,754 Bitcoin from Bitfinex in 2016, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering. Arrested in 2022, he helped launder the funds with his wife, Heather Morgan. Authorities recovered about 80% of the stolen Bitcoin, worth $3.6 billion at seizure. ### … Read more
November 15, 2024 at 01:39AM Ilya Lichtenstein has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the 2016 Bitfinex hack, which stole nearly 120,000 bitcoins. His wife, Heather Morgan, also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced soon. Authorities linked their arrests to laundering schemes involving fake identities and cryptocurrency exchanges. ### Meeting … Read more
November 11, 2024 at 07:41AM Roman Sterlingov, operator of Bitcoin Fog, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for laundering over $400 million through his cryptocurrency mixing service. He must repay nearly $400 million and forfeit assets. His service facilitated various crimes, highlighting the Justice Department’s commitment to combatting illegal money laundering operations. ### Meeting … Read more
November 9, 2024 at 01:12AM Roman Sterlingov, founder of the Bitcoin Fog cryptocurrency mixer, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for money laundering between 2011 and 2021. He must forfeit $395.56 million and his interest in a wallet holding 1,345 bitcoins. Bitcoin Fog laundered over $400 million for various cybercriminal activities. **Meeting Takeaways – … Read more
October 14, 2024 at 09:05PM Southeast Asia faces a growing shadow economy driven by cyber-enabled fraud and organized crime, generating $27-$37 billion annually. Criminal syndicates exploit lax laws and geopolitical tensions, advancing money laundering and human trafficking. Despite law enforcement efforts, innovation in cybercrime outpaces government response, posing significant economic and human rights challenges. ### … Read more
October 4, 2024 at 03:02PM Russian law enforcement detained nearly 100 suspects connected to the Cryptex cryptocurrency exchange, UAPS anonymous payment service, and other platforms for illegal payments and stolen credentials. The individuals were arrested for organizing criminal activities, illegal payment processing, and banking activities. They made over $1.1 billion in 2023 and were linked … Read more
September 29, 2024 at 09:30PM Cryptocurrency exchange Binance assisted Indian authorities in investigating a scam gaming app. The alleged perpetrators operated accounts on Binance, which helped Indian authorities trace the app’s involvement in a cross-border criminal network. Separately, SpaceX expressed interest in investing $1.5 billion in Vietnam, while Singapore launched submarines to defend its waters … Read more
September 27, 2024 at 02:01PM The U.S. Department of Justice has charged two Russian nationals, Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, for money laundering and cybercrimes, including operating carding markets and cryptocurrency exchanges involving billions of dollars. Authorities also targeted Cryptex and seized servers hosting PM2BTC, leading to rewards for information on the individuals’ whereabouts. Additionally, … Read more
September 27, 2024 at 08:45AM The US government has offered rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of two Russian nationals involved in operating and laundering proceeds from carding websites. Joker’s Stash, a marketplace for stolen payment card data, is estimated to have generated illegal profits in the range of … Read more