He Went to Prison for Crypto Crime. Now He’s an Advocate for Compliance.

Charlie Shrem, a co-founder of the defunct BitInstant, was one of the first bitcoin millionaires and one of the first to do time for crypto violations. Today he preaches compliance to startups.

• 2023-07-24
• Charlie Shrem Justice Department Southern District of New York compliance programs bitcoin exchange

Celsius Faces Fraud Charges. Regulators Try to Bring Order to the Crypto Wild West.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Celsius and then-CEO Alex Mashinsky of a multiyear scheme to prop up the value of the company's internal token.

• 2023-07-14
• Celsius Network Alex Mashinsky Mashinsky SEC Justice Department

Russians Are Charged in Crypto-Theft in Hack of Mt. Gox Exchange

The two defendants were accused of conspiring to launder about 647,000 bitcoin—the equivalent of $17 billion today.

• 2023-06-10
• Alexey Bilyuchenko Mt. Gox Aleksandr Verner bitcoin trading federal prosecutors Justice Department

Ex-OpenSea Worker Found Guilty in First NFT Insider-Trading Case

A former employee of NFT marketplace OpenSea was found guilty Wednesday of what federal prosecutors described as the first insider-trading case involving digital tokens, marking a win for the Justice Department in its push to police the crypto industry. A federal jury in New York convicted Nathaniel Chastain of wire fraud and money laundering for using nonpublic information from his employer to trade on nonfungible tokens in 2021. The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office charged Mr. Chastain in 20

• 2023-05-04
• OpenSea Nathaniel Chastain NFT federal prosecutors insider trading Justice Department David Miller Chastain digital tokens

First-Ever NFT Insider-Trading Case Heads to Trial

A former OpenSea employee is accused of using confidential information to buy digital tokens before they were featured by the company.

• 2023-04-24
• Nathaniel Chastain OpenSea federal prosecutors confidential information insider trading Damian Williams Chastain Justice Department digital tokens

Do Kwon Arrested in Montenegro as U.S. Charges Crypto Fugitive With Fraud

The creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin was detained as he attempted to board a flight to Dubai, authorities said.

• 2023-03-24
• Do Kwon Justice Department TerraUSD South Korean police

U.S. Charges Crypto Fugitive Do Kwon With Fraud as Suspect Held in Montenegro

The Justice Department charged South Korean crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon with fraud on Thursday as officials in Montenegro said they had arrested a man they believed to be the creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin. In an indictment unsealed in a New York federal court, Mr. Kwon was charged with eight criminal counts of fraud and is accused of conspiring with an unnamed U.S.-based investment firm to use trading strategies to alter the price of the stablecoin in May 2021. Mr. Kwon also lied i

• 2023-03-24
• Do Kwon Justice Department TerraUSD

Crypto Companies Behind Tether Used Falsified Documents and Shell Companies to Get Bank Accounts

Tether Holdings and a related crypto broker used “cat and mouse tricks” to obscure identities, documents show.

• 2023-03-04
• bank accounts shell companies documents show banking system tether Stephen Moore Justice Department bank account The Wall Street Journal

Crypto Bank Silvergate Plunges After It Says Examining Viability, Delays Annual Report

(Bloomberg) -- Cryptocurrency-friendly bank Silvergate Capital Corp. is examining its viability and said it’s delaying its annual report to allow time to review financial controls, following the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX. The shares plunged as much as 25%.Most Read from BloombergSorry, Twitter. Elon Found His Next Shiny Object.How to Get a Free Flight to Hong Kong in 500,000 Airline Ticket GiveawayLightfoot Is First Chicago Mayor to Lose Reelection in 40 YearsWorld’s Rich Take Advantag

• 2023-03-02
• Bloomberg Silvergate money laundering Bloomberg financial controls FTX Justice Department

Binance May Have a Clear Path Out of U.S. Regulatory Trouble. Cryptos Are Rallying.

The cryptocurrency exchange expects to pay a fine to settle existing regulatory and law enforcement investigations into its business, The Wall Street Journal reported.

• 2023-02-16
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission law enforcement investigations The Wall Street Journal cryptocurrency exchange Justice Department digital assets Binance digital asset Patrick Hillmann