NY Judge Denies Tornado Cash Developer’s Motion to Dismiss, Trial Set for December

Roman Storm, a software developer of Tornado Cash, is headed to trial after a New York judge ruled against his motion to dismiss criminal charges. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla rejected Storm’s request to drop charges tied to money laundering and sanctions violations. Russian co-defendant Roman Semenov remains elusive and on the run, evading capture … Read more

Tether to Increase Its Workforce to 200 by Mid-2025, Says CEO Paolo Ardoino

The CEO of stablecoin issuer Tether Holdings Ltd. has announced plans to increase the company’s employee headcount to 200 by mid-2025. The firm stated that a majority of the new employees will be assigned to the compliance team, while others will join the finance team. A Finance Behemoth With a Lean Structure Stablecoin issuer Tether … Read more

IRS, Chainalysis Helping Ukraine Track Russians Using Crypto to Evade Sanctions

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said it’s working closely with Ukraine to help it trace crypto transactions of Russian sanctions evaders. The agency is providing the Ukrainians access to a Chainalysis tool as well as specialized training to Ukrainian law enforcement. IRS Offers Ukraine Tools From Chainalysis to Trace Russian Blockchain Transactions The criminal … Read more

Binance and Kazakhstan to Share Information About Crypto-Related Crime

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has agreed to support Kazakhstan in ensuring the safe development of the country’s crypto market. The trading platform and Kazakhstan’s financial regulators intend to inform each other about cases involving the use of digital assets for illicit purposes. Binance Exchange to Help Kazakhstan Authorities Combat Crime Linked to Cryptocurrencies The world’s leading … Read more

US Charges Ethereum Dev’s Conspirators Allegedly Helping North Korea Evade Sanctions Using Crypto

Two European citizens have been charged for conspiring with Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith to help North Korea evade U.S. sanctions using cryptocurrency, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. They conspired “to teach and advise members of the North Korean government on cutting-edge cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, all for the purpose of evading U.S. sanctions.” Virgil … Read more

US Lawmaker Urges Biden Administration to Develop ‘Robust Strategy’ to Prevent Crypto Use to Evade Sanctions

A U.S. lawmaker has urged the Biden administration to develop a “robust strategy” to prevent cryptocurrency from being used to evade sanctions. “Emerging technologies like cryptocurrency offer many positive applications like humanitarian relief, but the administration has not kept pace in ensuring this novel form of currency is not used to the detriment of U.S. … Read more

US Treasury Official: We Don’t See That Crypto Could Be Used in Large-Scale Way to Evade Sanctions

The U.S. Department of the Treasury does not see that cryptocurrency could be used in a large-scale way to evade sanctions. “Its share as a medium for illicit finance is not anywhere as large as just using cash,” a senior Treasury official noted. Treasury Department’s View on Crypto Use to Evade Sanctions Nellie Liang, Treasury … Read more