US May Consider Alexander Vinnik for Prisoner Exchange With Russia, Lawyer Says

Crypto exchange BTC-e’s alleged operator Alexander Vinnik may be a candidate for prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. That’s according to a statement by one of his lawyers for Russian media. The latest court hearing in Vinnik’s case has been postponed. Russian Accused of Laundering Billions Through Crypto May Return Home, According to … Read more

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Faces New Charges in Multi-Billion Dollar Fraud Case

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the disgraced co-founder of FTX, faces four more charges after a new indictment was unsealed on Wednesday. The charges include operating an unlicensed money transfer business and conspiring to commit bank fraud. SBF Gets 4 New Charges Tacked Onto His Indictment The former CEO of FTX was originally indicted 72 days ago … Read more

Onecoin Cryptoqueen’s Ex-boyfriend Gets 5 Years in Prison

A former boyfriend of Ruja Ignatova, the mastermind of the Ponzi scheme Onecoin, has received five years in prison. The sentence is for the laundering of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of proceeds from the notorious crypto scam which defrauded investors around the world. Ruja’s Former Boyfriend Sentenced for Money Laundering Linked to Onecoin … Read more

Report: Former FTX Director of Engineering Nishad Singh Negotiating Plea Deal with Prosecutors 

Another member of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle allegedly plans to plead guilty to criminal charges for his role in the alleged fraud that occurred at the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. According to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Nishad Singh, FTX’s former director of engineering, is attempting to negotiate a deal with New York prosecutors. Sources … Read more

Moody’s Says Forex Shortages May Force Nigerian Central Bank to Delay Repaying Local Banks

The persistent scarcity of foreign exchange may force the Nigerian central bank to delay repaying the $10.4 billion owed to local banks, analysts at Moody’s Investors Service have concluded. The central bank’s failure to pay its debts on time will likely force the affected financial institutions to similarly delay paying back their own forex-denominated debts. … Read more

SEC and CFTC Lawsuits Against Former FTX CEO Paused Until Criminal Proceedings Conclude

Two civil lawsuits, stemming from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried will be paused until his criminal proceedings are complete. US Attorney Requests Pause on SEC and CFTC Lawsuits to Prevent ‘Judicial Overlap’ According to the latest decision by a New … Read more

Rwanda Government Orders Banks to Stop Facilitating Crypto-Related Transactions

According to the National Bank of Rwanda, the country’s regulated financial services providers are now prohibited from facilitating crypto-related transactions. In her Jan. 31 letter justifying the decision, the acting governor Soraya Hakuziyaremye cites the unregulated status of most crypto assets and how this leaves users without the “guarantees and safeguards associated with regulated financial … Read more

Russian Charged With Laundering Ransomware Proceeds in Crypto Pleads Guilty in US

A Russian national accused of processing cryptocurrency payments from ransomware attacks has pleaded guilty to money laundering in the United States. The man who was extradited from the Netherlands in mid-August, last year, will be sentenced in April. Russian Crypto Launderer Pleads Guilty in US Court, May Get Up to 20 Years in Prison An … Read more

Bitzlato Co-Founder Anton Shkurenko Arrested in Russia, Report

Russian authorities have reportedly arrested the second co-founder of seized cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato. The man, who recently promised to restore the platform’s operations from Russia, was detained at the request of Interpol and may face extradition to France. Another Co-Founder of the Russia-Linked Bitzlato Exchange Apprehended in Moscow Anton Shkurenko, co-founder of the recently busted … Read more