US Bitcoin Trader Convicted for Illegal Money Transmission and Laundering

The U.S. government has been cracking down on individuals utilizing the peer-to-peer platform Localbitcoins. This week an Arizona resident named Thomas Costanzo was convicted for money laundering tied to over $164,000 worth of cryptocurrency trades. Also Read: Arizona Localbitcoins Trader Detained by U.S. Homeland Security Two Years Worth of BTC Trades Investigated The U.S. Attorneys Office … Read more

University Student Gang ”Breaking Bad” Jailed For Dealing $1M+ in Drugs for Bitcoin

The fall of the Silk Road marketplace continues to vertebrate around the world, this week leading to a number of university students going to jail for many years. The young men have been found guilty of selling party drugs and tranquilizers online for bitcoin.  Also Read: Swiss Officials Fear ICOs Will Tarnish Reputation of ‘Crypto … Read more

Some of Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters Find it Difficult to ‘Cash Out’

The price of BTC had increased in value significantly over the years, reaching $19,600 at its highest peak – and the exchange rate rests at $8,500 today. This is a stark contrast to just over a year ago when the digital currency’s value was under $1,000 per coin. Since the fiat value has increased so … Read more

Five Wellingtonians Arrested for Running a Bitcoin-Related Drug Business

Every time someone gets arrested for drugs, it is safe to assume Bitcoin plays some role. When five Wellington residents were arrested this week, a fair amount of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were confiscated. Cracking down on illegal drug sales and imports is direly needed, though. Another Bitcoin-related Drug Arrest People who have been involved in the … Read more

Bill Gates States Cryptocurrency “Has Caused Deaths in a Fairly Direct Way”

On Tuesday, Microsoft co-founder and avid philanthropist Bill Gates participated in an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, where users of the site present questions on any topic for the billionaire to answer. Among questions of coding semantics and peanut butter sandwiches, one Redditor asked for Gates’ opinion on cryptocurrency. Redditor /u/Askur1337 asked Gates for his take on … Read more

British Man in Amsterdam Allegedly Laundered €11.5m in Bitcoin Drug Money

A UK man living in Amsterdam is facing up to five years in prison for allegedly helping people by exchanging fiat cash for bitcoin which was used to buy drugs. He supposedly started by growing cannabis himself but soon found the bitcoin business to be more profitable by itself.   Also Read: US Navy Investigators … Read more

US Navy Investigators Bust Bitcoin Drug Ring at Naval Academy

Despite recent claims that bitcoin is becoming less popular for illicit dealings on the dark web, investigations show that it is still the payment method of choice for many. The most recent example comes from the US Navy, where a few entrepreneurial cadets reportedly used bitcoin to buy drugs which they distributed to their classmates … Read more

Bitcoiners Increasingly Targeted by Police as Prices Yield Large Asset Forfeiture Gains   

The Department of Justice has announced another potential auction of seized bitcoin, totalling over 8 million USD. There’s a noticeable uptick in bitcoin-related prosecutions since at least 2014 and the Ross Ulbricht, Silk Road affair. With the price of bitcoin rising to stratospheric heights, the phenomenon has made bitcoiners relatively wealthy; it might have also … Read more