Topic: #law-and-order
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US designates Russia's A7 Network a criminal group, targets A7A5 ruble token
OFAC designated Russia's A7 Network a significant transnational criminal organization, and FinCEN proposed barring transfers tied to its front companies, a rule that would also reach crypto exchanges.
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Tether's USDT used by 84% of Iran-linked sanctioned wallets, Senate Democratic report says
A Democratic staff report released by Sen. Richard Blumenthal says 84% of 846 Iran-linked sanctioned wallets transacted mainly in USDT. Blumenthal asked Treasury and DOJ to investigate Tether.
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New York sues Polymarket over unlicensed gambling operation
New York's attorney general and governor filed a lawsuit against Polymarket on Wednesday, accusing the prediction market of operating without a license and exposing New Yorkers to gambling harms. The state is seeking to bar the platform from the state and impose fines.
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Bitcoin cold wallet theft turns deadly in Mexico home invasion
Mexican prosecutors allege two men invaded the home of Camilo Séptimo keyboardist Jonathan Meléndez searching for a cold wallet believed to hold millions in Bitcoin, killing the musician, his pregnant wife, their young daughter, and a domestic worker. Their six-year-old son survived.
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Polish Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Exchange Probe
A Polish court approved pretrial detention for Roman Ż. on September 7, 2026, in connection with the Zondacrypto exchange investigation. Four suspects had already been detained, and prosecutors allege an organized group stole at least $2 million from 1.3 million clients.
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Chainalysis sues ICE over $94.6M blockchain forensics contract to TRM Labs
Chainalysis filed a bid protest in federal court challenging ICE's $94.6 million sole-source contract award to rival TRM Labs for blockchain forensic tools, arguing the agency's decision was arbitrary and unreasonable.
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Feds charge Few and Far founder Taj Tarsha with $10M investor fraud
Federal prosecutors charged Taj Tarsha, founder of NFT marketplace Few and Far, with securities and wire fraud after he allegedly raised more than $10 million from investors and diverted the funds to gambling, cryptocurrency trades, and personal expenses including a DJ hobby.
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US Treasury sanctions Iranian firms accepting Bitcoin for Hormuz passage
The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two Iranian firms on Wednesday, including HormuzSafe Marine Services Authority, which accepts Bitcoin and other digital assets to bypass Western sanctions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
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xAI sues Minnesota to block nation's first AI nudification law
Elon Musk's xAI filed a federal lawsuit against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to block HF 1606, arguing the law's definition of intimate parts is so broad it would criminalize shirtless photos and swimwear images. The law takes effect Saturday.
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Australia Sues Telegram for $38M Over Extremist Content Failures
Australia's eSafety Commissioner filed civil proceedings against Telegram seeking A$54.6 million in penalties, alleging the platform failed to remove pro-terror material including footage from the Christchurch and Buffalo attacks.
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GrapheneOS Defends Duress PIN as Tunick Faces Federal Charges
GrapheneOS says its privacy software is "completely legal" and constitutionally protected as Samuel Tunick, an Atlanta activist, faces federal charges for allegedly using a duress PIN to wipe his phone during a warrantless border search.
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Russia charges Telegram's Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism
Russia's Federal Security Service charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list, escalating a months-long conflict between Moscow and the messaging app over content moderation and state control.
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Man Charged for Using GrapheneOS Duress Password at Airport Border Search
Samuel Tunick faces federal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 2232 after allegedly triggering a GrapheneOS duress password during a warrantless border search at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport. The case marks the first known U.S. criminal prosecution involving the privacy feature.
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Wrench Attacks on Crypto Holders Surge to $124M in Six Months
CertiK documented 52 wrench attacks in the first half of 2026, a 33% increase from a year earlier, with recorded losses climbing nearly 12-fold to $124.1 million. Home invasions now account for 41% of incidents, and France represents roughly 64% of global cases.
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Clarity Act Draft Bars Trump From Crypto Ventures Until 2029
The latest Clarity Act draft includes ethics restrictions on the president and his family from issuing digital assets while in office, but the ban expires January 20, 2029. The bill also shields non-custodial developers and limits stablecoin yield.
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Pakistan's FIA Launches Crypto Investigation Unit for Money Laundering
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency established a cryptocurrency investigation unit to target money laundering and terrorism financing, even as Islamabad simultaneously licenses crypto exchanges and lifts a banking ban on digital assets.
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UK Fraud Review Urges Judge Training on Crypto Laundering and AI Scams
A government-backed review recommends judges and magistrates be trained to handle a surge in cryptocurrency money laundering and AI-enabled fraud cases, warning that courts lack equipment and expertise for cases of unprecedented scale.
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Bank of Thailand Screens USDT Trades in Grey Economy Crackdown
Thailand's central bank is screening large stablecoin transactions, particularly USDT, to detect attempts to sidestep banking disclosure rules. The findings are being handed to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates digital assets, as part of a broader campaign against the "grey economy."
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Labour MPs Push to Make UK Crypto Donation Ban Permanent
Labour lawmakers have tabled amendments to the Representation of the People Bill to make the UK's moratorium on cryptocurrency political donations permanent, citing concerns over foreign interference and anonymity risks highlighted by the Rycroft Review.
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Gillibrand calls for ban on meme coins issued by elected officials
After President Trump disclosed $1.2 billion in crypto earnings, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing legislation to prohibit elected officials and their spouses from issuing or promoting digital assets.
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American Charged With Spying for Iran via Telegram for Cryptocurrency
Israeli prosecutors charged a 21-year-old American seminary student with espionage after he allegedly responded to a Telegram job posting and conducted surveillance tasks for Iranian intelligence handlers in exchange for roughly $1,379 in cryptocurrency.
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Farage Investigated Over Crypto Lobbying Tied to Tether Donor
Parliament's standards watchdog is investigating whether Reform leader Nigel Farage improperly lobbied the Bank of England on cryptocurrency policy to benefit his largest donor, billionaire Christopher Harborne, who holds a 12% stake in Tether.
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Goliath Ventures CEO pleads guilty to $250M crypto Ponzi scheme
Christopher Delgado, CEO of Goliath Ventures, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud and money laundering for running a crypto Ponzi scheme that took in at least $400 million from investors, with proceeds spent on six mansions, luxury cars, and designer goods.
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Dutch Prosecutors Seek Bankruptcy of Unlicensed Knaken Exchange
Dutch prosecutors have asked a Rotterdam court to wind up Knaken, an unlicensed crypto platform that has been offline since June and locked 30,000 customers out of their holdings. The move comes as Europe's new crypto licensing regime tightens rules on unregulated exchanges.