DOJ Counters Motion to Dismiss Charges Against Tornado Cash Developer

In a notable development, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has countered a motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Roman Semenov, a developer of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, highlighting the alleged strength of its case in a recent court submission. Prosecutors Assert Strong Evidence Is Coming in Tornado Cash Laundering Case The … Read more

Operation Racer: Hong Kong Authorities Dismantle Cryptocurrency Laundering Operation

Hong Kong customs officers arrested three individuals involved in a HK$1.8 billion ($228 million) money laundering operation that utilized a cryptocurrency platform and bank accounts of shell companies, with investigations revealing suspicious activities such as abnormally frequent large transactions in accounts with no clear financial backgrounds. The suspects, who did not know each other, allegedly … Read more

Latam Insights: Bitcoin Hurts El Salvador Credit Opportunities, Paraguay Supports Selling Power to Crypto Miners

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: Bitcoin hinders El Salvador’s credit talks with the IMF, the Paraguayan Senate issues a statement supporting bitcoin miners, and Venezuela unveils a crypto-linked corruption scheme. Bitcoin Reportedly Hurts El Salvador Credit Opportunities With … Read more

Chinese Fraud Victims Seek Government Aid in Recovering 61,000 BTC Seized by UK Law Enforcement

A group of Chinese victims of a $6 billion fraud scheme have requested assistance from their country’s foreign ministry in recovering 61,000 bitcoins, seized from a fraudster and her associate. The fraud victims have strongly opposed attempts to transfer the ownership of these bitcoins to the U.K. government. Petition Garners More Than 2,500 Signatures A … Read more

Venezuelan Probe Unveils Crypto Money Laundering Scheme Linked to Oil Sale Embezzlement; Kraken Involved

The Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, unveiled the second wave of detentions linked to a crypto money laundering scheme derived from unregistered oil sales paid in different currencies and crypto. The former president of the state-owned oil company PDVSA, Tareck El Aissami, the former Economy Minister Simon Alejandro Zerpa, and entrepreneur Samark Lopez were … Read more

Detained Binance Executive Pleads Not Guilty; Nigerian Judge Sends Him to Prison

The Binance executive detained by Nigerian authorities for nearly six weeks has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering. Binance expressed deep disappointment that Tigran Gambaryan, who holds no decision-making power within the company, remains in detention. Judge Dismisses Tigran Gambaryan’s Arguments Tigran Gambaryan, a detained executive from Binance, pleaded not guilty to money … Read more

EU Anti-Money Laundering Laws Ban Provision of Services for Anonymous Cryptocurrency Accounts

A new set of anti-money laundering laws passed by the EU has banned crypto asset service providers from servicing and providing custody to anonymous cryptocurrency accounts. The approved proposal for the “prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing” alleges these assets present “risks of misuse … Read more

UK Court Convicts Woman Found With More Than $4.3 Billion in BTC

A London resident reportedly caught with bitcoins worth over $4.3 billion has been convicted for entering into a money laundering arrangement. The woman specialized in converting digital assets into physical assets, such as multimillion-dollar houses and jewelry. Converting Bitcoin to Physical Assets A British woman, found in possession of bitcoins currently valued at over $4.3 … Read more

Dutch Prosecutors Reportedly Charge Tornado Cash Developer With Money Laundering

Alexey Pertsev, a developer for Tornado Cash, has reportedly been indicted by prosecutors in the Netherlands. They accuse him of laundering $1.2 billion. Pertsev’s attorney confirmed the prosecutors’ intent to charge his client. According to Dutch prosecutors, while a crypto-mixing service is not “inherently illegal,” using it to launder criminal assets is punishable. Dutch Prosecutors … Read more

Argentine Senate Passes Reform Creating Cryptocurrency Entities Registry

The Argentine Senate passed a law that creates a registry for any institution that offers cryptocurrency services in the country. The CNV, the Argentine securities enforcer, will manage this registry, which also establishes obligations for crypto companies to deliver personal information on their customers and other data to government entities. Argentine Senate Passes Crypto Anti-Money … Read more