Department of Justice


Policy

OFAC’s Dropped Sanctions Against Tornado Cash Can’t Come Up at Trial, Judge Says

Barring what she described as a “unicorn” piece of evidence that would force the discussion of the now-illegal sanctions, District Judge Katherine Polk Failla said no to sanctions talk at trial.

CoinDesk

Policy

DOJ Ties Kansas Bank Collapse to $225 Million 'Pig Butchering' Seizure

Shan Hanes, the former CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank, wired millions in embezzled funds to scammers who promised crypto riches and was arrested in 2024. Now, a DOJ complaint shows he was the single largest victim in a global "pig butchering" USDT laundering network.

Shan Hanes mugshot (Morton County Jail/DoJ Filing)

Policy

Gotbit Founder Aleksei Andriunin Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud, Market Manipulation

Prosecutors are recommending that Andriunin, 26, spends no more than 24 months in a U.S. prison.

Alexey Andryunin

Policy

Gotbit Founder Aleksei Andriunin Extradited to U.S. on Fraud Charges

The 26-year-old Russian national had been living in Portugal.

Alexey Andryunin

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Policy

U.S. Marshals Service Can't Say How Much Crypto It Holds, Complicating Bitcoin Reserve Plan

The agency has been plagued with procedural and organizational issues for years.

Credit: Getty Images

Policy

3 Russians Face Money Laundering Charges Over Mixing Services: DOJ

Russian nationals have been charged with crimes for allegedly running the crypto mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io used by North Korean hackers.

Sinbad's website says it was seized by the FBI alongside the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Service and Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. (Sinbad.io)

Markets

Market Fears of Potential Selling Pressure From Possible Silk Road Sale is Overblown: Van Straten

Since September, the market has absorbed over 1 million bitcoins, while the price has gone from around $60,000 to over $100,000.

Department of Justice (Shutterstock)

Policy

MyTrade Head First to Plead Guilty Among Group of Firms Accused of Gaming Markets

MyTrade was among more than a dozen targets of U.S. authorities in cases earlier this month focusing on crypto market manipulation, including alleged wash trading.

The U.S. Department of Justice grabbed another of the men it alleges moved billions in criminal money at BTC-e.  (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

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Policy

Binance Founder Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao Could Be Released on Friday

A Federal Bureau of Prisons rule states that an inmate whose release date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, may be released on the last preceding weekday.

Binance's CZ (Twitter/Modified by CoinDesk)

Policy

Global Effort Disrupts Russia Linked Network Using Crypto to Evade Sanctions, U.S. Charges Two Russians

U.S. President Joe Biden said "to counter Russian sanctions evasion and money laundering, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Secret Service have taken action today to disrupt a global cryptocurrency network, in coordination with international partners."

Department of Justice (Shutterstock)