News & Analysis as of

Cryptocurrency Criminal Prosecution

Alston & Bird

DOJ Refines Illicit Finance Enforcement Approach for DeFi

Alston & Bird on

Our White Collar, Government & Internal Investigations Group reviews several Department of Justice statements that together signal how it will enforce illicit finance risks in decentralized finance (DeFi), focusing on...more

Polsinelli

Blockchain+ Bi-Weekly—SEC Issues Guidance Regarding Liquid Staking Tokens and Trial of Privacy Technology Developer Ends in Mixed...

Polsinelli on

Congress may be in its August recess, but the crypto legal developments have not slowed. The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance released long-awaited guidance on Proof-of-Stake liquid staking tokens, clarifying when such...more

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

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - August 2025 #3

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US Stablecoin Issuers Announce Bank Charter Application, New L1 Network - Paxos, a blockchain infrastructure and tokenization platform and issuer of the USDP stablecoin, recently announced that it “has filed an application...more

Mayer Brown

The Tornado Cash Trial’s Mixed Verdict: Implications for Developer Liability

Mayer Brown on

On August 6, 2025, following a four-week trial, a jury in the Southern District of New York delivered a mixed verdict in the criminal case against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm. The jury convicted Storm of conspiring to...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

WilmerHale

Reversals of Fraud Charges Highlight Difficulties in Bringing Market Manipulation Cases

WilmerHale on

Establishing that criminal defendants engaged in market manipulation is extremely difficult, often due to the difficulty in establishing that the defendant created prices that did not reflect legitimate sources of supply or...more

Wiley Rein LLP

[Podcast] Deceiving Your Way to the American Dream: The George Santos Story

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In this jaw-dropping episode of Wicked Coin, hosts Diana Shaw and Tatiana Sainati are joined by their Wiley colleague Rob Walker – former Chief Counsel to both the House and Senate Ethics Committees – for an unflinching look...more

Tucker Arensberg, P.C.

DOJ Announces Largest Health Care Fraud Takedown in U.S. History

In the largest health care fraud takedown in U.S. history, the Justice Department announced charges against 324 individuals—including 96 licensed medical professionals—in connection with schemes involving over $14.6 billion...more

Hogan Lovells

Robbinhood ransomware hacker pleads guilty to charges stemming from 2019 attack on Baltimore

Hogan Lovells on

Sina Gholinejad, an Iranian hacker involved in the 2019 international extortion scheme against the City of Baltimore using the Robbinhood ransomware, pleaded guilty to computer fraud and wire fraud charges on Tuesday, May 27,...more

ArentFox Schiff

Investigations Newsletter: Two Charged in Alleged $227 Million COVID-19 Test Kit Fraud

ArentFox Schiff on

Two Charged in Alleged $227 Million COVID-19 Test Kit Fraud - Syed Murtuza Kablazada and Mehdi Hussain, the owners and operators of medical laboratories in Illinois, were charged with submitting more than $227 million in...more

Freiberger Haber LLP

Enforcement News: Founder of Crypto Asset and Foreign Exchange Trading Company Charged with Orchestrating a Ponzi-Like Fraudulent...

Freiberger Haber LLP on

The allure of guaranteed profits from sophisticated crypto asset and foreign exchange trading served as the underlying predicate for the claims asserted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) against Ramil Palafox...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

DOJ shifts focus on digital asset enforcement

Recently, the Deputy Attorney General for the DOJ released a memo that outlined a new policy direction for the DOJ regarding the enforcement of laws related to digital assets. The memo emphasized ending the previous...more

ArentFox Schiff

Changes in DOJ Policy on Digital Assets Enforcement

ArentFox Schiff on

On April 7, the Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Todd Blanche issued a memorandum entitled “Ending Regulation By Prosecution,” detailing a significant shift in the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) approach to digital assets....more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - April 2025 #3

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U.S. Digital Asset Companies Announce New Product Launches - A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced that certain customers can now trade “over 11,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, bringing equities and...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

A New Era for Digital Assets: The Impact of DOJ’s Shift Away from Regulation by Prosecution and Its Implications

Ballard Spahr LLP on

In a significant policy shift, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum titled “Ending Regulation By Prosecution,” on April 7, 2025, signaling a change in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) approach to digital...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

DOJ Narrows Crypto Enforcement Focus to Fraud and Criminal Conduct

On April 7, in a significant policy shift, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced via the release of a memorandum that it will no longer pursue criminal enforcement actions that effectively impose regulatory...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

U.S. Department of Justice Curtails “Regulation by Prosecution” in Digital Asset Enforcement

A new DOJ policy directs prosecutors to focus on crypto fraud and use of digital assets to facilitate other crimes. On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a Memorandum titled, “Ending Regulation by...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

First Stand-Alone Crypto Tax Fraud Case Leads to Two-Year Prison Sentence

On December 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that Frank Richard Ahlgren III was sentenced to two years in prison for filing a false tax return underreporting gains from selling $3.7 million in...more

ArentFox Schiff

Investigations Newsletter: DOJ Reports Nearly $3 Billion in FCA Settlements, Judgments for FY 2024

ArentFox Schiff on

DOJ Reports Nearly $3 Billion in FCA Settlements, Judgments for FY 2024 - On January 15, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act (FCA) totaled more than $2.9...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - November 2024 #4

BakerHostetler on

Stablecoin Initiatives Announced by Fintech Companies, DeFi Protocols - Major U.S. payments firm recently announced plans to enable “disbursement partners” to use the PYUSD stablecoin to settle cross-border money...more

Allen Barron, Inc.

Is it Too Late to Correct Past FBARs and File Amended Returns with the IRS?

Allen Barron, Inc. on

Is it too late to correct past FBARs and file amended returns with the IRS? The net is closing in on U.S. taxpayers with unreported or under-reported domestic and offshore income and assets. The IRS has increased audits in...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - November 2024 #3

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Crypto Exchanges and Stablecoin Issuers Announce Multiple New Products - Multiple crypto sector companies have recently announced new products. In a press release, LayerZero, “an omnichain interoperability protocol that...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - November 2024

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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

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

First Stand-Alone Crypto Tax Fraud Case Leads to Guilty Plea

On September 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that Frank Richard Ahlgren III pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return underreporting gains from selling $3.7 million in Bitcoin. As we discussed...more

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