News & Analysis as of

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) Money Laundering Digital Assets

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

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

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - June 2024

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In a recent press release, Grayscale Investments announced “the creation and public launch of two new crypto investment trusts: Grayscale Near Trust and Grayscale Stacks Trust.” According to the press release, “The trusts...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - March 2024

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Crypto Exchanges Launch Institutional Platform, LATAM Stablecoin - A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced the launch of an institutional platform “aimed at institutions, asset managers, hedge funds and...more

BakerHostetler

Weekly Blockchain Blog - February 2024 #2

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U.S. Companies Announce Crypto Cashback and NFT Ticketing Initiatives - According to recent reports, a major U.S. credit card company has partnered with Swoo, a mobile wallet blending traditional and crypto payments, to...more

BakerHostetler

Crypto Firms Launch New Initiatives; Whitepapers Address DeFi, Crypto Risks, CBDCs; OFAC Adds Crypto Addresses to SDN List...

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Crypto Firms Continue to Launch New Initiatives Across Markets - In a recent press release, digital asset infrastructure firm Fireblocks announced its acquisition of BlockFold, “a smart contract development and...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

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Treasury Risk Assessment Emphasizes That Decentralized Crypto Companies Have AML and Sanctions Compliance Obligations

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) released its Illicit Finance Risk Assessment of Decentralized Finance (Assessment). This Assessment, part of a broad regulatory scrutiny of entities that...more

BakerHostetler

NFTs Used to Serve Complaint; Treasury Official, SEC Chairman Address Crypto Compliance; NYAG Sues Crypto Exchange; DOJ Takes Down...

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NFT Integration Software Released; NFTs Used to Serve Complaint in Civil Action - According to a recent press release, a major U.S. software company has launched a suite of tools that will allow users to “enter the Web3 and...more

BakerHostetler

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

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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

Shipkevich PLLC

Metaverse Primer

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The term “metaverse” first appeared in 1992 as an abstract concept in Neal Stephenson’s dystopian novel Snow Crash. Two decades later, the Metaverse has since evolved from a mere idea to a figment of everyday reality, as it...more

BakerHostetler

Crypto Research Published; USPTO Seeks NFT Input; SEC and FINRA Address Digital Assets; OFAC Settles with Exchange; DOJ...

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New Research and Surveys Address CBDCs, Institutional Crypto Investment - Staff from the board of governors of the U.S. central bank recently published a research paper addressing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)....more

Proskauer - Blockchain and the Law

District Court Declines to Dismiss NFT “Insider Trading” Indictment against Former OpenSea Employee

In late October, a New York district court refused to dismiss the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) indictment against defendant Nathaniel Chastain, who was charged with wire fraud and money laundering relating to his using...more

BakerHostetler

Top NFT-Related Cybersecurity, Phishing, Hacking and Other Risks in 2022

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The continued growth of the market for nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in 2022 has helped shape the zeitgeist of what has been referenced colloquially by some as the “fourth industrial revolution,” defined largely by network effect...more

BakerHostetler

New Crypto Services Launch for Banks, Fintechs and Staking; DOJ Targets Major Cryptocurrency Money-Laundering Scheme; Japan Warns...

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Crypto Developments Emerge in Payments, Trading, Staking and Accounting This week, a global financial services and payment technology firm announced that it has partnered with a major U.S. cryptocurrency custody and...more

Harris Beach Murtha PLLC

OpenSea Case Signals Digital Assets Face Familiar Regulation

The recent OpenSea insider trading case emphasizes the need for businesses in the digital assets industry to stay abreast of the fast-changing legal landscape surrounding their industry, and also emphasizes that new digital...more

Foley Hoag LLP - White Collar Law &...

DOJ Announces Increased Focus on Digital Asset Crime with Newly Formed Digital Asset Coordinator Network

On Friday, September 16, 2022, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a formalized focus on digital asset abuse by publically releasing a 46 page report on the Role of Law Enforcement in Detecting, Investigating, and...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 Endorsements Scrutinized; Bank Crypto Guidance Issued; DOJ, CFTC and SEC Bring Crypto Enforcement Actions; Research Finds...

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NFTs Expand on Social Media, Celebrity NFT Endorsements Scrutinized - According to reports, one of the world’s largest social media platforms recently expanded its NFT (non-fungible token) initiative, allowing users in...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

SEC and Department of Justice Announce Parallel Crypto 'Insider Trading' Charges as Regulators and Congress Wrangle over...

On July 21, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced parallel civil and criminal actions against a former product manager at Coinbase...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Headed to the Metaverse? Be "The One" to Minimize Money Laundering Risk

Wilson Sonsini provides extensive and cutting-edge legal services for innovators, technology pioneers, and disruptors. As part of our focus on emerging technologies, our attorneys are publishing a series on applying and...more

King & Spalding

State Attorneys General Poised to Elevate Regulatory Scrutiny of Digital Asset Businesses

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The Attorney General Alliance (“AGA”) recently issued a collaborative White Paper that signals heightened scrutiny of digital asset businesses by state Attorneys General in coming years. Recognizing that it is “no longer...more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

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

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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

Seward & Kissel LLP

Former OpenSea Employee Charged with Insider Trading in NFTs; Could This be a “One-Off” or Sign of Future Actions?

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On June 1, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment of former OpenSea employee Nathaniel Chastain for an NFT “insider trading” scheme. From at least June to...more

Polsinelli

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

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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

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