Latam Insights Encore: Brazil Shows How States Should Keep an Eye on Crypto Usage for Nefarious Purposes

Welcome to Latam Insights Encore, a deep dive into Latin America’s most relevant economic and cryptocurrency news from last week. In this edition, we discuss how Brazil is becoming an example of how states should enforce crypto compliance by battling tax evasion and pursuing money laundering groups instead of targeting crypto innovators. Latam Insights Encore: … Read more

2 Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty in Lockbit Ransomware Case

Two foreign nationals pleaded guilty in Newark federal court regarding their participation in the Lockbit ransomware organization, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Thursday. Russian citizen Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov and Mikhail Vasiliev, a dual citizen of Canada and Russia, were identified as members of the Lockbit group. Active since January 2020, this group … Read more

Queens Woman Indicted for Hiring Hitman With Cryptocurrency on Dark Web

A Queens woman, Yue Zhou, has been indicted on charges of murder for hire, following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. Zhou allegedly used a dark web site to solicit a hitman, offering cryptocurrency, cash, and sexual favors. Murder for Hire via Dark Web The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a premier … Read more

UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Announces First Case Involving Monero Conversion

Jack Finney has been ordered to forfeit gains from selling a toxic substance marketed as a weight loss drug. The order includes proceeds in monero cryptocurrency and other assets. “This is the first case where we have converted Monero currency into cash,” said Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service. British Man … Read more

Chainalysis: $100 Billion in Illicit Crypto Funds Traced Since 2019

Crypto analytics firm Chainalysis has previewed an in-depth report on money laundering within the crypto space, providing insights into tracing illicit funds and advanced identification techniques. The firm discovered that since 2019, nearly $100 billion has been transferred from known illicit wallets to conversion services. The report underscores the need for broad expertise among law … Read more

Crypto Theft Mastermind Convicted in US for Home Invasions, Kidnappings, and Robberies

A Florida man has been convicted in the United States for orchestrating an international scheme that involved violent home invasions aimed at stealing cryptocurrency. The operation targeted victims throughout the country, who were kidnapped and assaulted to gain access to their cryptocurrency accounts. The defendant is facing a minimum sentence of seven years and a … Read more

Interpol Team Based in Singapore to Help Countries Combat Crypto Crime

A special team established by Interpol in Singapore will assist governments around the world in the fight against crimes involving virtual assets, the international police body announced ahead of its general assembly in India. Cryptocurrency and cybercrime will be the main focus of the forum. Interpol Sets Up Unit to Tackle Crypto-Related Crimes, Top Executive … Read more

Uniswap Censors 253 Crypto Addresses Blacklisted for Crime, Sanction Associations

According to a recently published report, the decentralized exchange (dex) Uniswap has blocked roughly 253 cryptocurrency addresses allegedly tied to crimes or government sanctions. The information was discovered by the software developer Banteg who analyzed and saved the shared logs from Uniswap’s server. 30 out of the 253 Blocked Addresses Are ENS Domain Names, Uniswap … Read more