Durov Unaware of French Arrest Warrant — Macron Denies Knowledge of Durov’s Visit

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was reportedly unaware of an arrest warrant issued against him in France, according to a source from the Paris prosecutor’s office. The French investigation was not linked to any U.S. actions. Neither President Emmanuel Macron nor the French foreign ministry were informed in advance of Durov’s arrest or presence in France. … Read more

Missouri Man Arrested for Extorting Former Employer With Bitcoin Ransom

A Missouri man, Daniel Rhyne, was arrested for attempting to extort his former employer, a New Jersey-based industrial company. Rhyne, a former core infrastructure engineer for the company, allegedly sent an extortion email on Nov. 25, 2023, claiming to have locked out or deleted the company’s IT administrators from its computer network and deleted server … Read more

Bitfarms Takes Control of Its First US Mega-Site to Expand Bitcoin Mining Capacity

Bitfarms Ltd., a bitcoin mining company, announced on Tuesday that it has taken control of its new data center in Sharon, Pennsylvania. “This site represents Bitfarms’ first mega-site in the U.S. with access to up to 120 MW,” the company said. Located in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) grid, the site offers low-cost, flexible power ideal … Read more

40 Nations Join US and South Korea in Combating North Korean Crypto Crimes

The U.S. Department of State and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted a symposium in New York City on Tuesday, focusing on protecting the virtual asset industry from exploitation by North Korea (DPRK) and disrupting its revenue generation. The event aimed to curb DPRK’s efforts to fund its weapons of mass destruction … Read more

Washington State Regulator Warns of Potential Fraud by BIB Crypto Platform

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) issued a consumer alert on Tuesday, stating that it has received a complaint regarding possible fraudulent activities by a cryptocurrency trading platform named BIB. An investor reported that after transferring 20,000 USDT to BIB following advice from individuals named Austin Johnson and Cindy Turner, he was unable … Read more

French Court Extends Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Police Custody

French prosecutors have announced that an investigative judge extended the police custody of Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, on Monday evening for up to 48 hours. After that, French authorities must either release or charge him. Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport amid a judicial investigation launched last month concerning 12 alleged … Read more

Thailand Extradites Malaysian Businessman to China Over $14 Billion Cryptocurrency Scam

Thailand has extradited Malaysian businessman Tedy Teow, also known as Zhang Yufa, to China over a massive cryptocurrency scam amounting to more than 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion). This marks the first extradition under the Thailand-China treaty since 1999. Teow, the founder of MBI Group, is accused of running a pyramid scheme that defrauded over … Read more

Singapore Court Imposes 6-Year Prison Sentence on Crypto Ponzi Scheme Mastermind

Yang Bin, a 61-year-old Dutch national, was sentenced by a Singapore court to six years in prison and fined S$16,000 Singapore dollars for orchestrating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. Yang’s company, A&A Blockchain Innovation, falsely claimed to own 300,000 cryptocurrency mining machines, promising investors a daily return of 0.5%. In reality, the company had no such … Read more

Russian Cybercriminal Extradited to US in Crypto Crime Case

A Russian cybercriminal, Deniss Zolotarjovs, has been charged in the U.S. with crimes related to his involvement in a cybercrime organization known for extorting victims and laundering cryptocurrency. The 33-year-old Moscow resident was indicted in Cincinnati, Ohio, on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, and Hobbs Act extortion. Arrested in Georgia in … Read more

Elon Musk Supports Efforts to Free Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

Following Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted the hashtag #FreePavel on his social media platform X. The hashtags #FreePavel and #FreeDurov emerged as supporters protested Durov’s arrest and called for his release. Durov is known for his strong stance on privacy and free speech, often clashing with government authorities over his … Read more