Europol Arrests 10 Members of a Sim Swapping Criminal Gang That Stole Cryptocurrencies Worth $100 Million

The European law enforcement agency, Europol, has arrested 10 people believed to be members of the criminal gang that stole cryptocurrencies with an estimated value of $100 million. The arrests follow an international investigation into a series of sim swapping attacks that occurred in 2020. According to Europol, this criminal gang had also targeted high-profile … Read more

Serbian National Arrested and Extradited to the US for His Role in a $70M Crypto Mining Case

A Serbian national has been extradited to the United States to face charges of defrauding investors out of more than $70 million through a cryptocurrency mining and binary options scam. Antonije Stojilkovic, 32, and six accomplices, who were all arrested between July and October 2020, faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. … Read more

US Resident Operated Illegal Bitcoin Exchange Business – Faces 25 Years in Jail

An Ontario man based in San Bernardino County of the U.S. has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of illegally operating a bitcoin to cash exchange business. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the man, Hugo Sergio Mejia, 49, operated the unregistered exchange business between May 2018 and September 2020. Accordingly, Mejia … Read more

US Court Sentences ICO Fraudster to 6 Months in Jail: Orders the Accused to Pay Over $4 Million in Restitution

A U.S. court has sentenced Jerry Ji Guo, a resident of San Francisco, to an effective six months in prison for his role in a fraudulent initial coin offering (ICO). In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Guo to pay over $4 million in restitution. Further, Guo will also cooperate with the government … Read more

South African Court Grants Order to Liquidate Mirror Trading International After Investors Fail to Withdraw Their BTC

A South African High Court recently granted a provisional liquidation order against Mirror Trading International (MTI) following an application for relief by two investors who failed to withdraw their bitcoin. According to a statement released by lawyers of one of the aggrieved investors, this provisional order paves the way for the appointment of a liquidator … Read more

CEO of MTI Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Flees South Africa in Possible Exit Scam – Funds Blocked

In an unexpected turn of events, the management team at Mirror Trading International (MTI) now suggest that their CEO Johann Steynberg may have exit scammed. The team alleges that Steynberg, now believed to be in Brazil, has locked out key management staff from accessing MTI’s account with a local bank. Additionally, management now appears to … Read more

South African Regulator’s Probe Into Mirror Trading International Unearths Previously Undeclared Losses and Missing Bitcoins

South African financial regulator, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), has filed criminal charges with local law enforcement against Mirror Trading International (MTI), the alleged online bitcoin trading scam. The regulator says its decision to press charges follows an investigation into MTI that unearthed the company’s use of fake trade statements, undeclared losses, and possible … Read more

Indian Crypto Trader Arrested for Allegedly Using USDT to Launder Money on Behalf of Chinese Online Betting Scammers

An Indian law enforcement agency has arrested Naisar Kothari, a cryptocurrency trader, for his role in a money-laundering scheme linked to online Chinese betting scams. The arrest was made after the country’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) detected large amounts of money “being inexplicably transferred to some cryptocurrency traders.” In addition to Kothari’s arrest, the ED conducted … Read more

Silk Road Bitcoin Seizure: Analytics Firm Claims Tokens Worth Millions Still Outstanding

Analytics firm Coinfirm says the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s seizure of digital assets associated with the now-defunct Silk Road left behind tokens worth millions of dollars. According to Coinfirm, there are still valuable balances held on forked addresses originating from that wallet. On November 5, the DOJ announced that a hacker known as Individual … Read more

Former Microsoft Engineer to Serve 9 Years in Prison in a Case That Involves Use of Bitcoin Mixers

A U.S. court in Seattle has sentenced a former Microsoft engineer to 9 years in prison after finding him guilty of 18 federal felonies relating to his elaborate scheme to defraud the tech giant $10 million. In passing the judgment, the court blasts Volodymyr Kvashuk, a software engineer and citizen of Ukraine, for attempting to … Read more