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☆ Two former MIT students charged with stealing $25 million of crypto in 12 seconds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Authorities said they executed their elaborate heist in April 2023, stealing $25 million from traders in just 12 seconds by fraudulently gaining access to pending transactions and altering the movement of cryptocurrency. “As we allege, the defendants’ scheme calls the very integrity of the blockchain into question,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. An indictment charged them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Anton Peraire-Bueno was arrested in Boston, while James Peraire-Bueno was arrested in New York. Prosecutors said that after carrying out the heist, the brothers rejected requests to return the funds and instead took steps to launder and hide the stolen cryptocurrency.

Persons: Anton Peraire, James Peraire, ”, Damian Williams, Bueno Organizations: CNN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Authorities, MIT, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, U.S, Boston, New York, Cambridge , Massachusetts

☆ 2 founders of a crypto mixer charged with laundering funds from the dark web
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The cofounders of crypto mixer Samourai Wallet were charged with money laundering. The service anonymized hundreds of millions of dollars for dark web criminals, prosecutors said. AdvertisementThe cofounders of a cryptocurrency mixing service called Samourai Wallet — which rendered crypto transactions anonymous — have been arrested and charged with money laundering, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Rodriguez and Hill were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. Related storiesThe Samourai Wallet website has been seized.

Persons: Samourai's cofounders, —, — Keonne Rodriguez, William Lonergan Hill —, Rodriguez, Hill, James Smith, haven't Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Southern, of, FBI Locations: of New York, Portugal, DMs

☆ A billionaire drug kingpin escaped justice by paying a bond set at just $53K and then running away
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA billionaire drug baron was arrested in Spain on money laundering charges but was released after paying a $53,000 bond, according to reports. AdvertisementThis followed a five-year investigation that police say showed the suspects had established a criminal organization involved in large-scale drug trafficking, including the smuggling of significant amounts of cocaine. Related storiesPolitico referred to Bouyakhrichan as a billionaire who possesses bank accounts and properties around the world. AdvertisementThe judge then imposed a €50,000 bond, roughly $53,000, took away Bouyakhrichan's passport, and ordered him to report to the authorities every fifteen days.

Persons: —, Felix Bolaños, Karim Bouyakhrichan, Bouyakhrichan, Vincent Veenman Organizations: Service, Business, Spain's National Police, BBC, Cadena SER Locations: Spain, Dutch, Moroccan, Netherlands, Belgium, South America, Europe, The Hague, Spanish

☆ Romance scammers are now building trust with AI-generated deepfakes. Here's how to spot them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It might be because he's a romance scammer called a "Yahoo Boy" who wants to steal your life savings. Once gaining the victims' trust, the scammers use a pretense to solicit money, like the need to pay an emergency medical expense. Last year alone, the FBI's Internet Crime Report estimated that Americans lost more than $650 million to romance scams. Kate Kleinert, a 69-year-old widow, previously told BI that she lost $39,000 to an online romance scam. Over the last two years, the Yahoo Boys started experimenting with deepfake video clips and video calls, according to Wired.

Persons: —, Kate Kleinert, Kleinart, David Maimon, Trina Higgins, Higgins, haven't Organizations: Service, Yahoo, Yahoo Boys, Department of Justice, Business, Federal Trade Commission, Social Security, Wired, Georgia State University, CNN, Nigerian, Prosecutors, Justice Department Locations: Nigeria, Hong Kong, Salt Lake City, Utah

☆ Opinion | Republicans Are Fleeing the Stench of a Rotten Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Frank Bruni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When it comes to Donald Trump, House Republicans do a convincing pantomime of love. They grovel for his favor, gush about getting his endorsement and speak and vote in line with his desires. They’re half partisan, half courtesan. That’s the truth of the Trump era, and that’s the moral of the 2024 exodus from Congress. More than two dozen House Republicans, along with more than two dozen House Democrats, have headed or are headed for the exits, but the largeness of those numbers — which track with those in other election years over the past decade — don’t tell the story.

Persons: Donald Trump, merrily, gush, Trump Organizations: House Republicans, Republicans, House, Trump

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried has to repay $11 billion. How can he possibly do that?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A federal judge on Thursday ordered Sam Bankman-Fried to repay more than $11 billion as part of his sentence for defrauding customers and investors in his failed crypto exchange FTX. In their sentencing memorandum earlier this month, federal prosecutors laid out their reasoning for seeking $11 billion in forfeiture. Unlike restitution, where the money from seized assets goes directly to victims, the money from forfeiture is taken by the government and absorbed into the US Treasury. It is unclear how much Bankman-Fried is currently worth, but it’s likely not anywhere near $11 billion. So far, the Department of Justice has redistributed about $4 billion to Madoff’s victims.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, SBF, ” Mitchell Epner, “, ”, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Anthony Capozzolo, Elizabeth Holmes, Holmes, Ramesh “ Sunny ” Balwani, Bernard Madoff, Peter Katz, Katz, they’ll, ” Katz Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Treasury, District, “, of, Department of Justice’s, Department of Justice, Department Locations: New York, Eastern, of New York

☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ How the Cartels Launder Their Drug Money, According to a Former Agent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Kyle Desiderio | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Robert Mazur tells the full story of his time as a government agent investigating drug-money laundering. Mazur went undercover for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service intelligence division, and the Customs Service. In Operation C-Chase, Mazur successfully infiltrated the Medellín cartel by posing as a wealthy, mob-connected businessman named Robert Musella. At its peak, the Cali cartel is estimated to have produced 80% of the world's cocaine supply. It was controlled by Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Pacho Herrera, and José Santacruz Londoño.

Persons: Robert Mazur, Mazur, Robert Musella, Pablo Escobar's, Gonzalo Mora, Roberto Alcaino, Robert Baldasare, Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Pacho Herrera, Londoño, Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, B095BKWD8L Read Organizations: US Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Customs Service, New York Times, KYC Locations: Italian American, Cali

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said conspiracy charges against KuCoin and two executives should warn other crypto exchanges that they cannot serve U.S. customers without following U.S. laws. An indictment in Manhattan federal court said the company and its founders tried to conceal the existence of its U.S. customer base. KuCoin was also required to cease New York operations after falsely representing itself as a crypto exchange without registering as a securities and commodities broker-dealer, James said. “KuCoin grew to service over 30 million customers, despite its alleged failure to follow laws necessary to ensuring the security and stability of our world’s digital banking infrastructure,” McCormack said. Three companies doing business as KuCoin were incorporated in the Cayman Islands, the Republic of Seychelles and Singapore.

Persons: Damian Williams, KuCoin, Letitia James, James, Williams, “, ”, Darren McCormack, “ KuCoin, ” McCormack, Johnny, Chun Gan, Ke Tang Organizations: New York, Homeland Security Investigations Locations: U.S, Manhattan, York, New York, China, Cayman Islands, Republic of Seychelles, Singapore

☆ Woman drops lawsuit against Leon Black alleging rape at Jeffrey Epstein mansion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

FILE: Leon Black, chairman and chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management LLC, at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. A woman who had accused Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black of raping her at the New York mansion of the late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to drop her civil lawsuit against Black. Black, in a statement provided to CNBC on Monday, said, "I have never met Ms. Pierson. Black left Apollo in March 2021, months earlier than he previously had said he would. The Wigdor law firm is continuing to pursue a separate lawsuit against Black that its attorneys filed in July, alleging that he raped a then-16-year-old girl with autism at Epstein's Manhattan home in 2002.

Persons: Leon Black, Jeffrey Epstein, Cheri Pierson, Pierson, Black, Danya Perry, Wigdor, Epstein, Wigdor . Black, Jane Doe Organizations: Apollo Global Management, Milken Institute Global Conference, Black, Manhattan Supreme, Epstein's, CNBC, Wigdor LLP, U.S . Virgin, Wigdor, Manhattan Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, York, Florida, Manhattan, Wigdor .

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to stop dirty money from flowing through the U.S. financial system with a slew of new rules aimed at increasing corporate transparency and regulating occupations that are exploited for money laundering. “We are undertaking a concerted effort to address the systemic deficiencies in the United States’ anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism framework," Nelson said. The international community is expecting the U.S. to improve its corporate transparency rules in order to maintain its status as a safe haven for investment. “We have identified numerous cases involving criminals and U.S. adversaries seeking to operate with anonymity using opaque corporate structures,” Nelson said. Anonymous companies are a favorite tool for bad actors seeking to conceal their activities and their funds,” Nelson said.

Persons: —, Biden, Brian Nelson, Nelson, ” Nelson, “, ” Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, Force, Atlantic Council, Treasury Locations: Ukraine, Gaza, U.S, Russia, Iran, Paris, United States

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is rolling out new recordkeeping rules for U.S. investment advisers in its continued effort to clamp down on money laundering, illicit finance and fraud in the American financial system. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — known as FinCEN — proposed a regulation on Tuesday that would require investment advisers to develop anti-money laundering programs and file reports with the government when suspicious activity is detected by clients, among other things. Treasury last week proposed a rule that would require real estate professionals to report information to the agency about non-financed sales of residential real estate to legal entities, trusts and shell companies. All-cash purchases of residential real estate are considered at high risk for money laundering. The risk assessment also identified cases of Chinese and Russian individuals using investment advisers to access sensitive information and emerging technology, Treasury said.

Persons: —, Biden, ”, Andrea Gacki, Janet Yellen Organizations: WASHINGTON, Treasury, House Locations: U.S, United States

☆ Bitcoin money launderer Ian Freeman ordered to pay $3.5 million to romance scam victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ian Freeman outside of the federal courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire, in April 2023. Prosecutors said that he laundered proceeds of scams by exchanging dollars for the popular cryptocurrency, charging "exorbitant fees" in the process. Freeman earned more than $1 million through his business, which he had not registered as legally required with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, prosecutors said. "Freeman instructed bitcoin customers, who were often victims of scams, to lie to the financial institutions and describe their deposits as church donations. From 2016 to 2019, he paid no taxes, and concealed his income from the Internal Revenue Service," the office said.

Persons: Ian Freeman, Freeman, laundered, Ian, Jane Young, Joseph Laplante Organizations: cryptocurrency, U.S ., Prosecutors, Financial, Network, New Hampshire U.S, U.S, District, Shire Free Church, of, Internal Revenue Service Locations: Concord , New Hampshire, New Hampshire, U.S, Shire, of New Hampshire

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An elderly man has died from Alaskapox, the first known fatality from the recently discovered virus, state health officials said. The man, who lived in the remote Kenai Peninsula, was hospitalized last November and died in late January, according to a bulletin last week from Alaska public health officials. Alaskapox, also known as AKPV, is related to smallpox, cowpox and mpox, health officials said. Only six other cases of the virus have been reported to Alaska health officials since the first one in 2015. All involved people were living in the Fairbanks area, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) from the Kenai Peninsula, health officials said.

Persons: “, hasn't, Alaskapox, Alaskans Organizations: Health, U.S . Centers for Disease Control Locations: ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Alaskapox, Kenai, Fairbanks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration wants to make residential real estate transactions more transparent by unmasking the owners of certain all-cash purchases. It's part of an ongoing effort to combat money laundering and the movement of dirty money through the American financial system. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed a regulation on Wednesday that would require real estate professionals to report information to the agency about non-financed sales of residential real estate to legal entities, trusts and shell companies. All-cash purchases of residential real estate are considered at high risk for money laundering. One study on the impact of money laundering on home values in Canada, conducted by a group of Canadian academics, found that money laundering investment in real estate pushed up housing prices in the range of 3.7% to 7.5%.

Persons: —, Biden, ”, Andrea Gacki, Ian Gary, Janet Yellen Organizations: WASHINGTON, Treasury, Network, House, FACT Coalition, Small Business Association Locations: Canada, U.S

“It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials,” reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding “Operation Money Badger,” an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Within weeks, senior DEA officials plotted to deploy at least three undercover informants to surreptitiously record top officials suspected of converting Venezuela into a narco state. And “to limit or mitigate the exposure of the unilateral activities,” the document advised DEA officials to protect their informants and curtail in-person meetings with targets. I think they figured they had nothing to lose.”RELEASED BY ACCIDENTThe Operation Money Badger memo was never intended to be made public. The DEA memo authorized three informants to secretly record undercover meetings with the targets.

Persons: –, ”, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro’s, Alex Saab, Wes Tabor, “ We’re, Maduro, “, Biden, ” Maduro, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, ” —, Evan Criddle, William & Mary, there’s, Mike Vigil, Manny Recio, John Costanzo Jr, Costanzo, ” Michael Nadler, Washington –, launderer, Jose Vielma, Hugo Chávez, Vielma’s, Luis Motta, Vielma, Motta, Motta’s, Zach Margulis, Hugo Carvajal, Jennifer Farrar Organizations: MIAMI, The Associated Press, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, Justice, AP, CIA, State, Justice Department, U.S, Attorney’s, Democratic, Supreme, William &, Saab, Miami Field Division’s, IRS Locations: Venezuela, United States, U.S, America, Venezuelan, Miami, Manhattan, Russia, China, OPEC, Mexico, Virginia, “, Colombian, New York, Houston, Washington, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Arms Dealer Linked to Myanmar Junta Acquitted in Thai Money Laundering Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Richard C. Paddock | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A wealthy Myanmar arms broker with close ties to the leader of Myanmar’s brutal military regime was acquitted on Tuesday by a Bangkok court on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, raising fears that he will be free to resume his activities aiding the junta. U Tun Min Latt, who was placed under sanctions by the United States last year for supplying the Myanmar regime with weapons, had spent 16 months in a Thai jail awaiting trial. The Thai authorities had accused Mr. Tun Min Latt and three associates of engaging in a scheme to launder drug money by using it to buy electricity in Thailand and sending it across the border to Myanmar. But the Thai criminal court found that the record of bank transactions presented by prosecutors did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the charges. With the ruling, about two dozen family members and supporters of the accused burst into applause in the courtroom.

Persons: Latt, Min Aung, Tun Min Latt Organizations: United Locations: Myanmar, Bangkok, United States, Thailand

☆ Ecuador: As terror grips the streets, even the armed forces live in fear
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( David Culver | Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Suddenly, residents, including Camille and Diego, found themselves seeking a safe place for themselves and their loved ones. Ecuadorean Police/Handout via ReutersHours after terror broke out in Guayaquil, President Daniel Noboa took an unprecedented step. Noboa, who had only been inaugurated two months earlier, declared an “internal armed conflict” in the country and ordered Ecuador’s armed forces to “neutralize” the members of more than 20 gangs, which he labeled as terror groups. Since then, Ecuador’s national police and armed forces have been carrying out raids of homes of those with suspected ties to terror groups. Experts warn that Ecuador’s terror groups are aligned with a wider criminal network, including the notorious Sinaloa Cartel out of Mexico, complicating Noboa’s attempts to “neutralize” criminal groups operating within his borders.

Persons: Ecuador CNN — Camille Gamarra, Diego Gallardo, Camille, Diego, “, ’ ” Camille, ” Camille, – José Adolfo Macías, ” –, Jose Adolfo Macias, Daniel Noboa, they’ve, ”, Jaime Vela Erazo, Fito, Sean Walker, Noboa, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, It’s, Carlos Jimenez, ” Jimenez, Jimenez, he’s, “ I’ve, I’ve, “ I’m, Noboa’s, Cesar Suarez Organizations: Ecuador CNN, Ecuadorean Police, Handout, Reuters, CNN, Joint Command, Ecuador’s Armed Forces, Colombian, RCN, Residents, TC Television Locations: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, United States, Europe, Sinaloa, Mexico, Aire, Golfo

☆ Opinion: Teen obsession with skin care products isn’t a trend, it’s a warning sign
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Opinion Holly Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The closer you look at the teen (and even tween) skin care craze, the more blemishes appear. The modern rebranding of “beauty products” to “skin care” - reminiscent of that of “diets” to “lifestyles”- implies that simply leaving your skin alone is tantamount to negligence. In 2020, clinical skin care brand Murad enlisted high-school influencers to promote its rejuvenating serums on Instagram. Considering how many such products tend to feature in the average online skin care routine, the potential cost overall is breathtaking. The most worrying thing about today’s skin care craze isn’t just that the financial and emotional buy-in are completely out of proportion to the “need” being addressed.

Persons: Holly Thomas, Katie Couric, mascara, Holly Thomas Holly Thomas, don’t, tweens, “, ”, Murad, Nil Sani, Gen Z Organizations: Katie Couric Media, CNN Locations: London, TikTok

☆ Cesar Suarez: Ecuadorean prosecutor investigating TV station attack has been assassinated, attorney general says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Tara John | Abel Alvarado | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Ecuadorean prosecutor, who was reportedly leading an investigation into an attack on a local TV network, was assassinated on Wednesday in Guayaquil, according to Ecuador’s Attorney General Diana Salazar. Cesar Suarez was killed in the northern part of the city, known for being one of the most violent cities in the country. The TV station attack led Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” in the country, ordering security forces to “neutralize” several criminal groups accused of spreading extreme violence in the Latin American nation. Since then, Ecuadorian military and police have spread throughout the city of Guayaquil, a CNN team on the ground witnessed. This comes as rival criminal organizations fuel Ecuador’s worsening security situation in their battle to control drug trafficking routes.

Persons: Diana Salazar, Cesar Suarez, Salazar, Suarez, “, ” Salazar, ”, Daniel Noboa, Adolfo “ Fito ” Macias, Oliver, Noboa, “ Leo Organizations: CNN, Ecuavisa, TC Television, United, Ecuadorian, Ecuador’s Armed Forces Locations: Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Fito, Mexico, United States, Sinaloa, Colombia, Los Tiguerones, Victoria del, “, Peru, Europe

☆ North Korean Hackers, Criminals Share Money Laundering Networks in Southeast Asia - UN
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tom WilsonLONDON (Reuters) - North Korean hackers are sharing money-laundering and underground banking networks with fraudsters and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia, according to a United Nations report published on Monday, with casinos and crypto exchanges emerging as key venues for organised crime. Funds stolen by North Korean hackers are a key source of funding for Pyongyang and its weapons programmes. The junket sector has been infiltrated by organised crime for "industrial-scale money laundering and underground banking operations," with links to drug trafficking and cyberfraud, the report said. The proliferation of casinos and crypto have "supercharged" organised crime groups in Southeast Asia, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas told Reuters. "It's no surprise sophisticated threat actors would look to leverage the same underground banking systems and service providers," he said.

Persons: Tom Wilson LONDON, Lazarus, Pacific Jeremy Douglas, Tom Wilson, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United, United Nations Office, Drugs, Korea's, United Nations, North, Casinos, Bangladesh's Central Bank, Lazarus, UNODC Regional Representative, Southeast, Pacific, Reuters Locations: Southeast Asia, United Nations, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, North, Geneva, United States, Pyongyang, Philippines

☆ Spanish museum may keep Pissarro painting looted by Nazis, US court rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —A US appeals court said on Tuesday that Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza museum may keep a painting by the French impressionist Camille Pissarro that the Nazis looted from a Jewish woman, rejecting an ownership claim that her heirs have pursued for more than two decades. The 3-0 decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, came in one of the oldest Nazi art theft cases, which began in 2005 and reached the US Supreme Court two years ago. After learning where the painting was, Neubauer’s grandson, Claude Cassirer, petitioned for its return in 2001, and sued four years later. The painting (far right) on display at Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, which acquired the work in 1993. The decision came two years after the Supreme Court threw out an earlier 9th Circuit decision because it misapplied choice-of-law rules.

Persons: Madrid’s Thyssen, Camille Pissarro, “, “ Rue Saint Honore, pluie, Rue, Rue Saint Honore, Lilly Neubauer, Thyssen, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen, Neubauer’s, Claude Cassirer, David, Madrid's Thyssen, Susana Vera, Judge Carlos Bea, Consuelo Callahan, ”, Spain’s, Thaddeus Stauber Organizations: Reuters, 9th, Supreme Court, “ Rue Saint, Rue Saint, Bornemisza, United Jewish Federation of San Locations: Bornemisza, Pasadena , California, Paris, Nazi Germany, United Jewish Federation of San Diego County, California, Spain, Nazi

☆ Spain Museum Can Keep Nazi-Looted Painting, Judges Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A US court said Spain could keep a priceless painting looted by the Nazis from its Jewish owner. The Spanish-backed nonprofit didn't know the painting was looted when it bought the collection, the judges said, giving it a stronger claim within Spanish law. Advertisement"Under California law the plaintiffs would recover the art, while under Spanish law they would not," they wrote. "Thus, Spanish law must apply." It argued that neither the Spanish state-backed nonprofit nor Thyssen-Bornemisza knew the painting was stolen when he bought it.

Persons: —, Lilly Neubauer, Camille Pissarro's, Neubauer, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen, Bornemisza, Claude Cassirer, Sam Dubbin, Spain's, Consuelo Callahan Organizations: Service, Saint, Business, Madrid's, Nacional Thyssen, Guardian, Madrid's Museo Nacional Thyssen, US, Appeals, Art, Los Angeles Times, Thyssen, Times Locations: Spain, Germany, Paris, Pissarro's, Spanish, California

☆ Opinion: Why crypto was the perfect tool for criminals and kleptocrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Opinion Casey Michel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The news last week of money laundering charges against crypto exchange Binance and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, sent shockwaves through both financial markets and crypto consumers alike. But for those familiar with the history of modern money laundering, they’re hardly surprising. Over and again, everything from Manhattan high-rises to Malibu beachfronts to Midwest manufacturing plants have allegedly housed illicit wealth, easily and anonymously. But crypto was also, in many ways, the perfect tool for kleptocrats and criminals trying to dodge sanctions and duck investigators. Like banks, real estate and more before it, the best days of the crypto industry as a haven for money laundering may yet be behind it.

Persons: Casey Michel, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, ”, Versha Sharma, Hamas’s Al, they’re, —, kleptocrats Organizations: CNN, Wall Street Journal, Binance, Hamas’s, ISIS, Patriot Locations: Washington, American, Manhattan, Malibu, Midwest

☆ US sanctions cryptocurrency mixer Sinbad over alleged North Korea ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a virtual currency mixer the Treasury Department said has processed millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency from major heists carried out by North Korea-linked hackers. Lazarus, which has been sanctioned by the U.S., has been accused of carrying out some of the largest virtual currency heists to date. In March 2022, for example, it allegedly stole about $620 million in virtual currency from a blockchain project linked to the online game Axie Infinity. A virtual currency mixer is a software tool that pools and scrambles cryptocurrencies from thousands of addresses. Those that engage in certain transactions with the mixer also risk being hit with sanctions.

Persons: Lazarus, Wally Adeyemo, Sinbad, Daphne Psaledakis, Kanishka Singh, Paul Grant, Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao Organizations: Treasury Department, North, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, United Nations, Blender, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, heists, U.S, Finland, Netherlands

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