Three Arrows Capital (3AC), the defunct crypto hedge fund, has its liquidators pursuing a $1.3 billion lawsuit against TerraForm Labs, the bankrupt digital assets company co-founded by Do Kwon. This legal action is part of ongoing efforts to recover funds for 3AC’s creditors following the fund’s collapse. 3AC Liquidators Pursue TerraForm Labs The Three Arrows Capital (3AC) liquidators are alleging that TerraForm Labs manipulated the market for Luna and TerraUSD, which led to...
Read More »Bitzlato Founder Sentenced to Prison for Facilitating Money Laundering
On July 18, Judge Eric Vitaliano sentenced the founder of the Bitzlato cryptocurrency exchange to 18 months, the time he had already served, for running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Anatoly Legkodymov pleaded guilty last year to running an operation that facilitated the concealment of over $700 million in proceeds from illegal gambling and drug transactions. Bitzlato Founder Admits He Could Have Done More Judge Vitaliano acknowledged the harsh conditions at...
Read More »Crypto Price Manipulation and Securities Fraud Lead to Two Prison Sentences
Two men have been sentenced for manipulating the price of Hydrogen Technology’s cryptocurrency, HYDRO, and scheming to defraud investors. This case marks the first time a jury in a federal criminal trial has classified a cryptocurrency as a security and found that price manipulation of cryptocurrency constitutes securities fraud. $300M HYDRO Crypto Fraud Scheme Court documents and trial evidence revealed that Kane, the co-founder and CEO of Hydrogen Technology, and Hampton,...
Read More »Juan Tacuri Pleads Guilty in $8.4 Million Forcount Crypto Ponzi Scheme
Juan Tacuri, 46, of Greenacres, Florida, a senior promoter behind the Forcount cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the Southern District of New York. The scheme, which reaped $8.4 million from primarily Spanish-speaking investors, has been described as one of the more shocking frauds targeting vulnerable communities. Forcount Promoter Juan Tacuri’s Guilty Plea Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern...
Read More »85-Year-Old Ex-Attorney Confesses to $9.5M Crypto Ponzi Fraud
85-year-old former attorney David Kagel has admitted guilt in a conspiracy to operate a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, defrauding victims of over $9.5 million. Once a legal authority figure in Beverly Hills, California, Kagel now faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for his involvement in the Ponzi scheme. Crypto Ponzi Scheme Kagel stood accused of collaborating with co-conspirators to lure victims into a fake crypto investment scheme promising investors high-yield...
Read More »Former Investment Banker Receives 41-Month Sentence for Crypto Fraud
Rashawn Russell, a former investment banker, has been sentenced to 41 months in jail for wire fraud related to a cryptocurrency and access device fraud. Russell’s sentencing took place at the Eastern New York District Court in Brooklyn after his September 2023 guilty plea. Former Banker’s $1.5 Million Crypto Fraud Prosecutors detailed that Russell began soliciting investments in November 2020, targeting friends, former college classmates, and co-workers for his R3 Crypto...
Read More »Incognito Market Owner Arrested After FBI Tracked Crypto Transactions
A Taiwanese national has been charged with running Incognito Market, a darknet drug bazaar, and arrested after authorities tracked the platform’s transactions. The platform has transacted more than $100 million in crypto through selling illegal narcotics such as fentanyl. Incognito Market Founder Arrested and Charged On May 18, U.S. authorities arrested Rui-Siang Lin, 23, operating under the pseudonym “Pharoah,” at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. According to FBI...
Read More »US Prosecutors Push for 5-7 Year Prison Sentence for Ex-FTX Exec
Federal prosecutors are calling for a prison sentence of five to seven years for former FTX executive Ryan Salame, who has been implicated in its multibillion-dollar collapse. His defense team asserts that his punishment should reflect his role in exposing the fraud, pushing for a lighter sentence of no more than 18 months. Salame’s Defense According to a sentencing memo filed in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday seen by Bloomberg, prosecutors emphasized the seriousness...
Read More »Bankrupt Crypto Lender Genesis to Repay $3 Billion to Creditors
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane approved Genesis Global’s Chapter 11 liquidation plan on Friday, enabling the bankrupt cryptocurrency lender to return approximately $3 billion in cash and crypto to its creditors. This ruling means that its parent company, Digital Currency Group (DCG), will not recover anything from the bankruptcy proceedings. DCG Left with No Recovery Judge Lane’s ruling comes after overruling an objection from DCG, which argued that the repayment to Genesis’...
Read More »Former Digitex Futures Exchange CEO Pleads Guilty to Violating Bank Secrecy Act
Founder and former CEO of Digitex Futures Exchange, Adam Todd, has pleaded guilty to willingly leading the firm to fail to establish an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program. Notably, the former CEO’s plea was issued in a federal court in the Southern District of Florida on May 7. Former Digitex CEO Pleads Guilty The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Todd pleaded guilty to “willfully causing” Digitex to violate the Bank Secrecy Act. Indicted earlier this year, Todd was accused...
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