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☆ Behind Nigeria’s Arrest of Binance Employee, Claims of a Bribe Request
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( David Yaffe-Bellany | Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Gambaryan, a former U.S. law enforcement agent, understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in the Nigerian government, according to five people familiar with the matter and messages reviewed by The New York Times. He and a group of his Binance colleagues had just met with Nigerian legislators, who accused the company of tax violations and threatened to arrest its employees. Later that month, Mr. Gambaryan wrote a three-page report describing the payment request and gave it to Binance’s lawyers, two people familiar with the report said. The episode was the backdrop for a second trip to Nigeria that Mr. Gambaryan took in February. On his return, he and a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were arrested by the Nigerian authorities, setting off a crisis at Binance.

Persons: Tigran Gambaryan, Gambaryan, Nadeem Anjarwalla Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Nigeria, U.S, Nigerian, Binance

☆ How a Crypto Compliance Officer Ended Up in a Nigerian Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( David Yaffe-Bellany | Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When he flew to Nigeria for a business trip in late February, Tigran Gambaryan, a top compliance officer at the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, packed a small suitcase with just enough clothes for two days. A former U.S. law enforcement agent, Mr. Gambaryan knew the trip was risky. Only a few weeks earlier, he and a group of colleagues had rushed out of Nigeria, concerned that the local authorities might detain them, five people familiar with that trip said. This time, he assured his wife, he would “get in and get out.”A month and a half later, Mr. Gambaryan is being held at Kuje prison in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, a complex that has housed Islamic State militants and Boko Haram fighters. After meeting with government officials in Abuja on Feb. 26, Mr. Gambaryan, 39, and a Binance colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were abruptly escorted to a guesthouse controlled by Nigerian security officials, where they were held for nearly a month with no formal charges filed against them.

Persons: Tigran Gambaryan, Gambaryan, “, Nadeem Anjarwalla Organizations: Islamic Locations: Nigeria, ”, Abuja

Binance faces charges of alleged non-payment of Value-Added Tax (VAT) and company income tax, failure to submit tax returns and complicity in aiding customers to evade taxes through its platform, the reports said. Alongside the company, two senior executives — U.S. citizen Tigran Gambaryan and British-Kenyan Nadeem Anjarwalla — were both charged and remanded in custody by Nigerian authorities. "We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to quickly resolve this issue," a Binance spokesperson told CNBC. watch nowThe families of the two employees declined to comment at this time, but issued statements on March 20, following a hearing at which Nigerian authorities extended their detainment.

Persons: Budrul Chukrut, Tigran Gambaryan, Nadeem Anjarwalla —, Anjarwalla, Nadeem, Anjarwalla's, Elahe Anjarwalla, Tigran, Binance, Yuki, Samuel Alabi Organizations: Getty, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Federal High Court, —, CNBC, British, U.S ., Locals, Abuja, Afp Locations: Nigeria, Abuja, British, Binance, Nigerian, IBADAN, Ibadan

☆ Binance crypto exec reportedly on the run after busting out of custody in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nadeem Anjarwalla escaped police custody in Nigeria on Friday, Binance said. Nigeria charged Binance, Anjarwalla, and another employee of the crypto exchange with tax evasion. AdvertisementA Binance executive is reportedly on the run after busting out of police custody in Nigeria on Friday. "We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody," a Binance representative told Business Insider on Monday. On Monday, Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service said it was charging Binance, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan with tax evasion.

Persons: Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance, —, Nadeem, didn't, Bayo Onanuga, Anjarwalla, Tigran Gambaryan, They'd Organizations: Service, Nigeria's Premium Times, Bloomberg, Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service Locations: Nigeria, Africa, Abuja

☆ U.S. Justice Department reportedly split over charging Binance as crypto world falters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Justice Department regulations say that money laundering charges against a financial institution must be approved by the MLARS chief. Binance's defense attorneys at U.S. law firm Gibson Dunn have held meetings in recent months with Justice Department officials, the four people said. Faced with the Justice Department investigation, Binance hired an external lawyer from U.S. law firm Paul Weiss, Roberto Gonzalez, who was previously Treasury's deputy general counsel. The Justice Department appointed Eun Young Choi, previously Monaco's senior counsel, as NCET's first director. MLARS has a reputation in the Justice Department for moving slowly in reaching prosecution decisions, people familiar with its activities said.

Justice Department regulations say that money laundering charges against a financial institution must be approved by the MLARS chief. Binance's defense attorneys at U.S. law firm Gibson Dunn have held meetings in recent months with Justice Department officials, the four people said. Faced with the Justice Department investigation, Binance hired an external lawyer from U.S. law firm Paul Weiss, Roberto Gonzalez, who was previously Treasury's deputy general counsel. MLARS has a reputation in the Justice Department for moving slowly in reaching prosecution decisions, people familiar with its activities said. Day met with Justice officials in Washington in recent months, three of the people said.

☆ Crypto exchanges enabled online child sex-abuse profiteer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +22 min

These sites often included links for users to pay via crypto exchanges, the IWF told Reuters, declining to name companies. “For those people looking to make money from child sexual abuse, crypto has lowered the barrier,” said Dan Sexton, the IWF’s chief technology officer. The Dark Scandals website, owned by Michael Mohammad, instructs users to send tokens to a Dark Scandals digital wallet to purchase content. While banks and payment platforms demanded more details from online merchants, many crypto exchanges for years requested little or no information from clients. The IWF received more reports last year of websites selling child abuse imagery for crypto than any year prior.

The U.S. Justice Department, in a report this September, said many crypto exchanges still "make little or no effort to comply" with know-your-customer requirements. These sites often included links for users to pay via crypto exchanges, the IWF told Reuters, declining to name companies. While banks and payment platforms demanded more details from online merchants, many crypto exchanges for years requested little or no information from clients. Asked at his trial for his opinion of crypto, Mohammad noted, "Privacy is something that a lot of users value." The IWF received more reports last year of websites selling child abuse imagery for crypto than any year prior.

☆ Binance is launching a training program for law enforcement to catch crypto criminals around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Binance has launched a program to train law enforcement on how to spot cyber crimes, moving in response to greater demand for help. The world's largest crypto trading platform said Tuesday its investigations team has responded to more than 27,000 law enforcement requests since November. The FBI recently warned about cyber criminals increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in decentralized finance, or DeFi, platforms. Last month, the FBI issued a warning about cyber criminals increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in decentralized finance, or DeFi, platforms to steal cryptocurrency from investors. Binance said its investigations team has responded to more than 27,000 law enforcement requests since November.

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