Silk Road Hacker Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Wire Fraud

On April 14, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the Southern District of New York revealed that the hacker responsible for the Silk Road marketplace breach had been sentenced to a year in prison for wire fraud charges. James Zhong stole more than 50,000 bitcoin from the darknet marketplace (DNM) in September 2012. DOJ … Read more

US Government Remains a Top Bitcoin Holder With Seized Stash Valued at $5.6 Billion

As of March 25, 2023, the U.S. government held 205,515 bitcoins worth $5.6 billion, which is approximately 1.06% of the circulating supply, according to current statistics. The cache of bitcoins is a result of three forfeitures that began in 2020. Glassnode’s on-chain data reveals that on March 9, about 9,860 bitcoins worth roughly $269 million … Read more

Crypto Exchange Bitzlato Restores Access to User Funds

Russia-linked cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato has begun processing withdrawals of digital assets belonging to its customers. The trading platform was shut down in an operation carried out by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Europe alleging that it had been used to launder dirty money. Bitzlato Allows Withdrawals After Staying Offline for Weeks Users who … Read more

FTX Debtors Seek Dismissal of Turkish Entities in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Proceedings

FTX debtors have filed a motion with the court requesting to dismiss its Turkish subsidiaries from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The defunct crypto exchange’s lawyers believe dismissing the entities “is in the best interests” of creditors, and FTX debtors do not believe Turkish authorities “or any liquidator” in the country will cooperate with officials … Read more

Despite Criminalizing Mining, Abkhazia Uncovers Another Crypto Farm

Even after introducing fines and criminal liability for cryptocurrency mining, Abkhazia continues to find underground facilities for digital currency extraction. This week, law enforcement officials have confiscated dozens of mining devices from an illegal crypto farm. Abkhazia Shuts Down Crypto Farm, Seizes Mining Hardware Police in Abkhazia have closed down another crypto mining installation in … Read more

Finland to Donate Millions of Dollars From Sale of Seized Bitcoin to Ukraine

The government of Finland is discussing supporting Ukraine with part of the money from the liquidation of millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency seized in crime investigations. Finnish authorities want to sell the bitcoins soon and say they couldn’t come up with a better idea for the proceeds. Finland Selects Brokers to Sell $75 Million … Read more

International Operation Disrupts Ransomware Group Netwalker by Tracing Cryptos With the Help of Blockchain Analysis

In collaboration with Bulgarian authorities, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) disrupted a well-known ransomware gang’s infrastructure. Law enforcement seized their servers and traced the illicit funds with the help of blockchain forensic analytics via Chainalysis. US Authorities Seized Over $454,000 Worth of Cryptocurrencies Per the U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement, the coordinated action took … Read more