Enforcement Actions

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

According to the Justice Department, a federal jury convicted Las Vegas business owner Brent C. Kovar on Monday, August 24, 2026, of operating a $24 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded at least 400 investors. Through his company Profit Connect, which operated from late 2017 until

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Treasury Department expanded sanctions against Iran on August 25, adding cryptocurrency, gold, shipping, and technology services. The sanctions target individuals including Ivan Obukhov, who the U.S. alleges processed over $100 million in cryptocurrency transactions

According to Cointelegraph citing Galaxy Research, the Coldcard hardware wallet attack resulted in the theft of 1,789.28 BTC from 8,865 addresses. Galaxy Research head Alex Thorn confirmed that 87.3% of the stolen funds, approximately 1,561 BTC, remain unmoved in attacker-controlled addresses.

According to Cointelegraph, Las Vegas businessman Brent Kowal was convicted by a federal jury of operating a $24 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. Kowal was found guilty on 11 counts of wire fraud, 2 counts of mail fraud, and 2 counts of money laundering. The U.S. Department of Justice stated he

According to The Block, Las Vegas businessman Brent Kovar was convicted of a $24 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme and faces up to 280 years in prison. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Kovar operated Profit Connect, using

The US Treasury expanded its Iran sanctions framework to cover the country's digital asset sector on Monday, citing over $100 million in crypto payments allegedly used to facilitate Iranian oil sales. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sectoral sanctions determinations covering digit

The US Treasury is expanding the threat of secondary sanctions to Iran-linked cryptocurrency activity, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing new measures on Monday as part of Operation Economic Outcast. The campaign targets digital assets alongside four other sectors — technology, gold, a

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the US announced new secondary sanctions targeting Iranian digital-asset activity on Monday (August 24) as part of Operation Economic Outcast, a broader campaign to isolate Iran economically. Crypto is one of five sectors facing increased sanctions

According to reports, Cosmos Labs issued an emergency advisory on August 25 urging Cosmos EVM chains to halt validator operations as engineers address an ongoing security incident affecting its shared Ethereum-compatible infrastructure. Cosmos Labs recommended that validators stop network operations