Enforcement Actions

According to Chainalysis, on Aug. 25 the Operation Lighthouse sprint investigated 29,120 cryptocurrency addresses and digital identifiers targeting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) platforms and networks. The first-of-its-kind international operation generated 14,300 investigative leads and

The U.S. Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on Aug. 24, targeting nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels connected to Iranian nuclear, missile, cyber, and oil networks. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) expanded its authority under Executive Order 13902 to

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC on Aug. 24 designated Iran's digital asset sector as an economy sector subject to secondary sanctions under Executive Order 13902, marking the first sectoral determination of its kind. This allows OFAC to sanction any foreign person globally that

The founder of Polish cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, Sylwester Suszek, and the lawyer who later succeeded him as CEO, Przemyslaw Kral, disappeared in succession, leaving behind a reserve of 4,500 Bitcoin reportedly worth more than $330 million. On July 30, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office consolidated the investigations, estimating potential losses at approximately €82.8 million, with more than 30k affected customers reported. The Circumstances of Suszek’s Disappearance: Czeladź Gas S

According to Caixin, on August 26, Zhou Gu, who controls the United Arab Emirates-based Aqua 1 Foundation, has been listed as a defaulting debtor in China's public credit blacklist after investing $100 million in World Liberty Financial's WLFI token—making him the largest backer of the Trump

According to Bloomberg, between August 17 and 24, a wallet associated with the sanctioned exchange HTX (formerly Huobi) sent nearly 12k small crypto transfers to addresses associated with Kraken. The activity was characterized as a “dust attack,” allegedly intended to artificially trigger the platform’s compliance review system by distributing sanctioned funds and thereby activating Kraken’s anti-money-laundering and sanctions-screening procedures. HTX denied initiating the transfers and said it

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the United States has launched 'Operation Economic Exclusion' to expand sanctions against Iran, including cryptocurrencies, gold, technology, aviation, and maritime sectors. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that more than 60 individuals,

According to ChainCatcher, the U.S. Treasury this week placed Iran's digital asset sector under its long-standing sanctions framework used for oil, banking and finance, tightening restrictions on Iranian cryptocurrency use to evade sanctions. The move, part of "Operation Economic Outcast," expands t

A federal jury convicted Japheth Dillman, 48, of San Francisco, of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud following a 10-day trial. Dillman co-founded Block Bits Capital, which raised nearly $1 million from more than 20 investors between June 2017 and August 2018 by promoting a

A federal jury convicted Japheth Dillman, founder of Block Bits Capital, of wire fraud and conspiracy on Monday, according to the Justice Department. Dillman raised close to $1 million from more than 20 investors between June 2017 and August 2018, falsely telling them the fund's proprietary

Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs identified 30 cryptocurrency addresses linked to members of Iran's Mabna Institute that received approximately $16.8 million since 2018, following a US Treasury action announced on Aug. 24. The addresses, spanning Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRON networks, retained on

According to TRM Labs, 30 cryptocurrency addresses linked to Iran's Mabna Institute received approximately $16.8 million since 2018, as announced in US Treasury sanctions on Aug. 24. The addresses span Bitcoin, Ethereum, and TRON networks. TRM found that only $202,662, or roughly 1% of the funds, re

A federal jury convicted Las Vegas business owner Brent C. Kovar on Monday of defrauding 400 investors of $24 million through a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme operated via his company Profit Connect. Kovar was found guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of money

On Monday, the US Treasury designated Iran's cryptocurrency sector as a sanctionable activity under Executive Order 13902, marking the first time the nation's digital-asset economy became a named target of OFAC sanctions machinery. Alongside gold, technology, aviation, and shipping, crypto is now on

A federal jury in Las Vegas convicted Brent C. Kovar of operating a $24 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded at least 400 investors, the Justice Department announced on Monday. Kovar owned Profit Connect, a Las Vegas company that from late 2017 until July 2021 falsely claimed to run ar