Tag Archives: Money Laundering

Crypto firms faced substantial regulatory action, collectively paying nearly $6 billion in fines primarily due to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) violations and deficiencies in customer checks last year. This marks a significant development, as crypto and fintech groups experienced higher fines for inadequate controls than the entire traditional financial system for the first time. Crypto-Related Fines Surge The total fines of $5.8 billion in 2023, including a substantial $4.3...

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon attacked Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on Wednesday, suggesting that they’re only useful for criminals and may as well be banned. “If I were the government, I’d close it down,” Dimon said of the crypto industry during remarks on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Bitcoin, Banks, and Crime Dimon was one among several CEOs of the eight largest U.S. banks to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday at a hearing concerning annual...

U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo confirmed in a speech on Friday that crypto plays a relevant, but still relatively minor role in global terrorist financing operations. His comments bear a stark contrast to claims from a massive lineup of congresspeople earlier this month, asserting that crypto is responsible for over $130 million in Hamas terrorist funding. The Reality of Terror Financing During his remarks about terrorist groups, sanctions, and illicit finance,...

The authorities of Israel have reportedly seized around 190 cryptocurrency accounts at Binance since 2021, saying some of those were tied to the terrorist groups – Hamas and Islamic State. The exchange claimed that Reuters (the media outlet that informed about the confiscation) is “deliberately leaving out critical facts to fit their narrative.” It asserted that anti-money laundering and preventing terrorist activities remain a key focus for the company. The Reuters/Binance...

Federal agents have arrested Charles Riley Constant, an owner of digital currency ATMs under the Coindawg name. At the time of writing, he has been charged with money laundering, and he’s been accused of stealing COVID pandemic-based loans and converting them to BTC and other forms of crypto to hide them from prying eyes. Charles Constant Is Facing Money Laundering Charges Money laundering has long been a serious problem in the crypto space. As of late, we have received...

On Wednesday, the United States Department of Justice announced an international cryptocurrency enforcement action. The Department arrested the founder of Bitzlato – a Chinese crypto exchange involved in servicing financial criminals The DOJ broke the news on Wednesday, alongside representatives from the FBI, OFAC, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). OFAC administers the US sanctions regime, while FinCEN monitors suspicious activity among financial...

Hundreds of crypto-related cases are piling up at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s Criminal Investigation division. According to division chief Jim Lee, many of these cases will be made public soon, of which are largely related to tax. Evading Taxes With Crypto As reported by Bloomberg Tax, some of his division’s most common cases are related to off-ramping (exchanging crypto for fiat currency) and non-reporting of crypto-based pay. “In the last three years I’ve really...

Mustafa Gokiu – a man living in the town of Sunnyside, New York – was convicted in mid-October by a federal jury in Brooklyn for allegedly running a crypto money laundering and drug scheme. It is stated in court documents that the man laundered BTC units through an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Mustafa Gokiu Guilty of Crypto Money Laundering At the age of 50, Gokiu was found guilty on several charges including money laundering, operating an unlawful money...

A billion-dollar crypto money laundering case in China has come to an end. Authorities say they busted an illicit group of money launderers who used a total of 40 billion yuan (roughly $5.6 billion in USD) to purchase digital currency funds. China Is the Center of a Major Crypto Money Laundering Case Arrests of over 90 individuals alleged to have been involved in the case recently occurred in the county of Hengyang, which is centered in China’s southern province of Huna....

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange – Binance – signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Over the course of the agreement, both parties expressed a mutual interest in creating a safe crypto environment in the Asian country and bringing down financial crime in the area. Binance’s Efforts in Kazakhstan The trading venue revealed its intentions to expand in the Central Asian nation at the beginning of...