#money

Singapore witnessed one of its largest crackdowns on money laundering last month. 400 police officers coordinated raids throughout the city-state, detaining 10 foreigners. These individuals allegedly were "laundering the proceeds of their overseas organised crime activities, including scams and online gambling". The seizures were significant, totaling $1.76 billion, with cryptocurrencies accounting for nearly $30 million. The operation also led to the confiscation of 68 gold ingots, 110 real estate holdings, and 62 cars. Sketches released provide a look at those under suspicion.

In a recent courtroom confession, Ryan has agreed to pay a $6 million fine to the US government, reimburse FTX creditors with $5 million, and forfeit two Massachusetts properties along with his Porsche. The former FTX executive admitted to illicit campaign financing and running an unlicensed money transfer business. “I made $10 million in political contributions and called them loans, which I never intended to repay,” said Salame. He could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

OpenSea Head of Product Receives Prison SentenceNate Chastain has been sentenced to three months in prison for engaging in insider trades that amounted to $50,000. Chastain, aged 33, was found guilty of fraud and money laundering in a federal court in New York in May. This case marked the conclusion of what prosecutors deemed the first significant NFT insider trading case. Chastain profited by purchasing and selling at least 45 NFTs he was aware would be featured on OpenSea’s homepage. U.S. Attorney stated, “Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to other corporate insiders that insider trading – in any marketplace – will not be tolerated.”

After detecting phishing attempts, Terra (LUNA) has temporarily frozen its primary domain, Terra․money. The company's directive? Avoid sites with this domain until they say otherwise. While the team has ramped up protection for the Station Wallet, a word of caution: avoid the desktop and mobile apps for a bit. But if you're a fan of the Station Chrome extension, the latest version is good to go.

Under the new regulations, stablecoin transfers will require up to three business days. This rule has caused bewilderment within the blockchain community. However, officials state that this restriction is consistent with the pace of standard domestic money transfers and will also apply to stablecoin redemptions. "The redemption timeline is intended to strike a balance between responsiveness to users’ requests and ensuring there is enough time for the SCS issuer to do so in an orderly manner under various stress situations," added the regulator.

“I saw some ridiculous views, so i want to clarify that I’m refunding you not because you can find me, it’s because I don’t want to ruin your project, maybe it’s a lot of money for a lot of people, but not for me, I’m smarter than all of you, fuck!!!” Was this hack simply for the thrill of causing disorder? Or was there a message he was trying to convey? Given the thorough preparation that spanned weeks or perhaps even months, it's a thought-provoking consideration.

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, a husband and wife duo of crypto hackers, have pleaded guilty to federal money laundering conspiracy charges related to the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. Their guilty plea comes after a year and a half since their arrest and charges in February 2022 and seven years after the initial hack. According to the government’s allegations, Lichtenstein hacked into Bitfinex and stole 119,754 bitcoins, which were valued at $72 million at the time and are now worth approximately $3.5 billion, for his personal benefit.

The body of Spanish crypto influencer Fernando Perez Algaba was tragically discovered in Argentina. He had been declared missing since last Tuesday. On July 23, children in Ingeniero Budge found a suitcase containing his amputated limbs. The police subsequently found his torso on the next day, and his head was located in a backpack on July 25. The motive for murder was related to his debts. A note left by Algaba’s explained that he had lost a significant amount of money invested in cryptocurrencies.

Developers of Tornado Cash, including Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, have been arrested on charges of money laundering and sanctions violations. They're accused of facilitating the concealment of over $1 billion through their platform.

The FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, has publicly declared his innocence. He responded to charges of fraud, money laundering, and recent allegations concerning breaches of election campaign finance laws. He articulated his defense on August 22nd in the Southern District Court of New York.

"Simply put, no. Bitcoin raises concerns among both local and European regulators. Our primary business demands our focus, and it wouldn't be rational to jeopardize it by engaging with a high-risk asset like Bitcoin," says Mykhailo Rohalskyi. He believes that cryptocurrency lacks advantages over fiat money, apart from the potential to sidestep local currency regulations. Speaking on Ukraine's crypto landscape, the Monobank co-founder added: "I'm skeptical about the widespread acceptance of cryptocurrencies in our country. The approach of the National Bank of Ukraine to crypto regulation remains uncertain."

As Elon Musk occupies himself with the Twitter rebrand, the crypto community is enthusiastically trading tokens that bear association with the well-known platform only through its former name. The TwitterDAO (TWITTER) token is presently priced at $0.0001, despite a rocky start.This rise is attributed to the automatic system's verification and contract audit. Yet, it's vital to bear in mind that such tokens often morph into money-making tools for fraudsters, leading to a total wipeout of the assets belonging to external investors. The recent situation with BALD serves as a stark reminder of this risk.

American Senators Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall, Joe Manchin, and Lindsey Graham have once again introduced a proposal to tackle money laundering through cryptocurrencies. The Institute of Banking Policy wasted no time and promptly voiced its support for this bipartisan legislation, which seeks to tighten regulations on digital assets to ensure they fully comply with existing financial system rules

US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed that he invested in Bitcoin earlier this year, buying two BTC for each of his seven children. This move came after facing criticism for promoting the cryptocurrency without having any personal stake in it. Kennedy clarified that he made the investment right after attending a Bitcoin conference where he announced his decision to accept campaign donations in Bitcoin. “Right after that Bitcoin conference, I got a big check, and I said, okay, you know, I’m going to put my money where my mouth is.” During the conference, he denied having any personal investment in the cryptocurrency. However, he later decided to invest in Bitcoin to demonstrate his commitment to the technology and its potential.