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Digital Assets Insider Trading

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for July 2025

Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine the following matters: • An SEC complaint alleging a Georgia...more

DLA Piper

Blockchain and Digital Assets News and Trends – August 2025

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This periodic bulletin is designed to help companies identify important legal developments governing the use and acceptance of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and digital assets....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

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Recent Developments in the Law of Federal Property Fraud: It’s a Long and Winding Road

In two recent high-profile decisions, Chastain v. United States and Johnson v. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed wire fraud convictions that were based on theories resembling insider...more

Perkins Coie

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

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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

DLA Piper

Second Circuit Vacates NFT “Insider Trading” Conviction, Clarifies Property Requirement for Wire Fraud

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has vacated the conviction of Nathaniel Chastain, a former employee of non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea. Chastain had been convicted of wire fraud and money...more

Seward & Kissel LLP

Second Circuit Vacates Former OpenSea Employee’s “Insider Trading” Conviction

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On June 1, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged former OpenSea employee Nathaniel Chastain with wire fraud1 for an NFT “insider trading” scheme. At the time, we here at SKrypto asked:...more

A&O Shearman

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

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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

Secretariat

Reflections on Initial SEC Policy Changes Early in the Atkins Era

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Since Paul Atkins became Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 21, 2025, the SEC has announced significant pivots in its approaches to enforcement, regulatory guidance, investment adviser...more

Secretariat

SEC Enforcement Trends for 2025 — Shadow Trading, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Crypto

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2024 was a pivotal year for SEC enforcement as the Commission significantly ramped up its efforts, filing 583 enforcement actions and obtaining $8.2 billion in financial remedies, a record for the agency....more

Paul Hastings LLP

Market Abuse Rules for Cryptoassets — The New UK Regime

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This briefing covers the FCA’s proposed rules for market abuse in cryptoassets (MARC) in (DP24/4) and follows our earlier coverage on the proposals for the FCA’s admissions and disclosures (A&D) regime proposed in that...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

What to Expect from the SEC During a Second Trump Administration?

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Given the recent news about President-Elect Trump’s cabinet appointments , it is a safe bet that the SEC Division of Enforcement’s priorities will change under the new administration. Under President Biden, SEC Chair Gary...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Fifth Circuit Reverses CFTC Penalty Judgment Under ‘Fair Notice’ Doctrine

On January 8, 2024, in a decision that underscores the potential viability of fair-notice defenses to U.S. regulators’ rule interpretations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a $6.5 million penalty...more

King & Spalding

Cryptocurrency: Legal Developments and Outlook

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Federal and state regulators have taken an increased interest in regulating cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and the larger blockchain ecosystem. This landscape is opaque and rapidly evolving, and many industry participants...more

WilmerHale

Digital Assets Consultation Offers First Step In Regulation

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The International Organization of Securities Commissions, or IOSCO, published a consultation report in May titled "Policy Recommendations for Crypto and Digital Asset Markets." Originally published by Law360 - July 11,...more

Polsinelli

Blockchain+ Bi-Weekly - June 2023

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Highlights of the Last Two Weeks in Blockchain+ 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...more

BakerHostetler

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

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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

Proskauer Rose LLP

SEC Approach In Wahi Presents New Challenges For Crypto

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Government scrutiny of the crypto market has been sharply increasing in recent months on the criminal and civil enforcement fronts. In parallel proceedings that will be seen in other digital asset contexts — as in the...more

Perkins Coie

Digital Asset SEC Timeline - March 2023

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The Digital Asset SEC Timeline serves as an interactive compilation of select SEC guidance, enforcement actions, and speeches relating to the application of the federal securities laws to digital assets. Beginning with the...more

Perkins Coie

DOJ Brings First Criminal Charges Stemming From Use of Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan

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On March 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment against the CEO of a publicly traded healthcare company (the Executive) relating to charges of an insider trading scheme. The indictment represents...more

Carlton Fields

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

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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

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

Coinbase Insider Trading Shows Crypto Regulation Has Matured

Prosecution of executives for insider trading is not necessarily headline news – except when the prosecution involves the SEC wading deep into the waters of defining crypto as a security enroute to securing two guilty pleas. ...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Digital Asset Insider Trading Case Could Provide Sought-After Guidance to Industry

On February 7, 2023, Ishan Wahi (Ishan), a former Coinbase product manager, pled guilty to wire fraud charges in an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)....more

Goodwin

2022 Year in Review: Digital Currency and Blockchain Litigation and Enforcement Developments

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Throughout a tumultuous 2022, the digital currency and blockchain space saw a number of significant investigation, litigation, and enforcement matters as regulators continue their laser focus on the industry. This Year in...more

Polsinelli

“Now Yous Can’t Leave”: SEC Finds Itself in Formidable Fight Over Attempt to Assert Regulatory Domain over Secondary Sales of...

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In July of 2022, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) each alleged insider trading violations against a former Coinbase employee Ishan Wahi (“Ishan”), his brother...more

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