News & Analysis as of

Criminal Prosecution Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Second Circuit Vacates Fraud Conviction in First Crypto “Insider Trading” Case

In United States v. Chastain, No. 23-7038, 2025 WL 2165839 (2d Cir. July 31, 2025), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated wire fraud and money laundering convictions in what the government...more

Benesch

Second Circuit Widens the Gap Between Wire Fraud and Intangible Interests - Confidential Business Information Without Commercial...

Benesch on

The Second Circuit has narrowed the wire fraud statute (18 U.S.C. § 1343), ruling that a fraudulent scheme must target property with actual commercial value to the victim; mere confidential business information...more

Perkins Coie

Second Circuit Narrows Scope of Federal Criminal Fraud Statute in NFT “Insider Trading” Case

Perkins Coie on

In United States v. Chastain, a split panel of the Second Circuit recently vacated the convictions of a former executive of an NFT marketplace who had been charged with misusing confidential information to trade NFTs for...more

A&O Shearman

Second Circuit Vacates Wire Fraud Conviction For “Insider Trading” On NFTs

A&O Shearman on

On July 31, 2025, a divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion vacating the wire fraud and money laundering convictions of a former manager of a marketplace for non-fungible...more

Kaufman & Canoles

K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - November 2024

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office asked a federal judge on Thursday to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Cleveland Browns to test the “Modell Law,” a state law designed to stop teams from leaving cities that...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - November 2024

BakerHostetler on

Integrations Connect Crypto and Fiat Financial Products - This week saw the announcement of three cryptocurrency payments partnerships. In a recent press release, a major U.S. financial services company announced a...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - September 2024 #2

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According to recent reports, two U.S. multinational financial technology companies have integrated Ethereum Name Service (ENS), a decentralized naming system built on the Ethereum blockchain, into their payment platforms....more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - March 2024 #3

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Financial Firms Complete Blockchain Pilot, UK Approves Crypto ETNs - A recent press release announced completion of the Canton Network pilot, “a first-of-its-kind program demonstrating the interoperability of twenty-two...more

Polsinelli

Blockchain+ Bi-Weekly - September 2023

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The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more

BakerHostetler

Jury Finds Former NFT Marketplace Manager Guilty of 'Insider Trading' Wire Fraud Scheme and Money Laundering

BakerHostetler on

On May 3, 2023, a jury found Nathaniel Chastain, a former manager of OpenSea (a major NFT marketplace), guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his attempts to conceal his use of confidential business...more

Goodwin

Court Denies Dapper Labs’ Motion to Dismiss, Finding That NFTs May Be Securities

Goodwin on

On February 22, 2023, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York denied a motion to dismiss a putative class action brought by purchasers of a non-fungible token (NFT) against Dapper Labs, Inc....more

Carlton Fields

Digital Assets: An Expanding Arena for Insider Trading and Market Manipulation

Carlton Fields on

Both the SEC and DOJ are creatively and aggressively attacking the use of digital assets as a medium for insider trading or market manipulation. While the jurisdictional battle over digital assets still rages between the SEC...more

BakerHostetler

DeFi, Stablecoin Products Launch; FASB to Allow Fair Value for Crypto Accounting; SEC Addresses Crypto IRAs; DOJ Enforcement...

BakerHostetler on

DeFi, Stablecoin Products Launch; Bitcoin Network Spikes Due to NFTs - According to reports, a new decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol recently launched that allows users to deposit the stablecoins USDC or DAI in a...more

BakerHostetler

AD-ttorneys@law - January 2023 #2

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Introducing Our Secret Plan to Fight Inflation - It’s simple: Don’t fall afoul of the FTC - ’Twas Ever Thus - Every year, like the swallows returning to Capistrano, the Perseid meteor shower, or a Real Housewives...more

BakerHostetler

Data Published on Crypto Exchange Volume, NFT Royalties, Crypto Crime; Crypto Adoption Continues; DOJ and CFTC Bring Multiple...

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New Data Published on 2022 Crypto Exchange Trading Volume, NFT Royalties - According to recent reports, Binance, currently the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, controlled 92 percent of global...more

BakerHostetler

Crypto Payment Products and NFT Initiatives Launch; Crypto Market Data Published; DOJ Brings Charges Alleging Cryptocurrency Ponzi...

BakerHostetler on

New Crypto Payment Products Launch, Reports Publish Crypto Market Data A recent press release announced that MetaMask, the popular Ethereum (ETH) Network crypto wallet provider, will integrate its self-custodial wallets...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

2022 NFT Litigation Roundup

Foley & Lardner LLP on

The emergence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has spawned novel legal and regulatory considerations, spanning intellectual property rights, the potential classification of NFTs as securities, the recovery of assets held on...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

Cryptocurrency: In the Face of Increased Enforcement, Be Prepared

This summer was a busy one for cryptocurrency regulators, with aggressive actions potentially signaling an increase in consumer protection compliance activity. In August alone, the New York Department of Financial Services...more

Foley Hoag LLP - White Collar Law &...

New York Federal Prosecutors Indict Defendant in Connection with NFT Insider-Trading Scheme

Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York recently charged Nathan Chastain with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a purported scheme to illegally profit from sales and purchases of...more

BakerHostetler

NFT Market Research Published; Crypto Issues Addressed by FDIC, US Representatives and Foreign Regulators; DOJ Targets Crypto...

BakerHostetler on

Fashion Brands Score with NFTs, but Market Trends Show Threats Abound - According to a recent report, iconic fashion brands from ready-to-wear sportswear to haute couture have been reaping the financial rewards of their...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

OpenSea Employee Arrested in First NFT Insider Trading Case

Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the first ever indictment for insider trading of digital assets. According to the indictment, in 2021 Nathaniel Chastain was...more

Barnea Jaffa Lande & Co.

First US Indictment for NFT Insider Trading Offenses

A few days ago, the SEC has charged a former employee of OpenSea (the largest NFT marketplace) In the first-ever digital asset indictment. SEC charged him with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

Department of Justice Takes Historic Step in Charging Former NFT Insider for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Connection with...

Cranfill Sumner LLP on

A product manager at OpenSea, a $13 billion online marketplace for non-fungible-tokens (“NFTs”), was indicted in the first-ever “insider-trading” action brought against a person using blockchain-based assets to allegedly...more

Polsinelli

Former OpenSea Employee Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in First Ever “Digital Asset Insider Trading” Scheme

Polsinelli on

A former employee of OpenSea, the largest marketplace for the purchase and sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has been indicted and charged with wire fraud and money laundering allegedly in connection with actions he took...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

DOJ brings first-ever NFT “insider trading” case

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced the unsealing of a first-of-its-kind indictment involving a digital asset “insider trading” scheme. The indictment charges Nathaniel...more

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