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☆ Fernando Villavicencio assasination: How corruption and gang warfare transformed Ecuador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But the high-profile assassination on Wednesday of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio could be a turning point for the country that has so far struggled to control the bloodshed. Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio ran on an anti-corruption platform prior to his death. Floundering authoritiesSecurity and state forces have been badly unprepared for the rise of criminal groups in the country. A a car transports the body of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 10. Last year, the US withdrew visas from high-ranking officers of Ecuadorian state security forces, alleged to be linked to drug trafficking, as well as several judges and lawyers.

Persons: CNN —, Fernando Villavicencio, ” Juan Pappier, Watch’s, “, Karen Toro, Laura Lizarazo, ”, ” Lizarazo, Ecuador’s, Guillermo Lasso, Lizarazo, Eric Farnsworth, –, Villavicencio –, El, Nayib Bukele, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, Vicente Gaibor del Pino Organizations: CNN, Customs, Border Patrol, Ecuadorian, Reuters, Lobos, of, Americas Society, Security Locations: Ecuador, ”, Peru, Colombia, Europe, Washington, Americas

☆ Cocaine cartels encroach on Unification Church’s Paraguayan paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Puerto Casado | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Many of the runways are on land owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, founded by Rev. The Unification Church is a major power in this unruly region. Byun, the Unification Church lawyer, provided Reuters with an April 2022 document the church sent to Paraguayan anti-narcotics prosecutors, urging an investigation into potential illicit activity. Trouble in paradiseThe alleged drug-running on its land isn’t the only trouble the Unification Church has faced in the Chaco. Byun, the church lawyer, acknowledged the tensions with locals in Puerto Casado but declined to comment on the Myungs or the fire.

Persons: Sun Myung, Michelle Byun, ” Byun, “, Moon, God, ”, Miguel Ángel Servín, Servín, Rodrigo Alvarez, Elva Cáceres, Marco Alcaraz, Cynthia Tarrago, Tarrago, Raimundo Va, Rodrigo Alvarenga Paredes, Byun, Alvarenga, “ Alvarenga, Rodrigo Álvarez, Álvarez, Pedro Juan Caballero, ‘ Lawless, –, Marcelo Pecci, José Carlos Acevedo, ” Acevedo, Pecci, Acevedo, Mario Abdo Benítez, James Laverty, Hak Ja, ” –, Carlos Casado, Anger, Locals, Lorenzo Myung, Martin Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Dora Irrazábal, Irrazábal, Alberto David Gauto, Gauto, Emilio Camacho, Moon’s, Hyun Jin, Preston, Hak, Hyung Jin, Sean, Massimo Introvigne, Sean Moon, Preston Moon, Puerto Casado, Virgilio Chamorro, Gabriel Stargardter, Daniela Desantis, Feilding, Tomas Bravo, John Emerson, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Unification Church of, Rev, Authorities, Reuters, Unification Church, Holy Spirit Association, South Korea’s Unification, Belgian, Sting, South, International Association of Parliamentarians, Peace, U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Colorado Party, Yorker, U.S, Attorney, FBI, Capital Command, PCC, United Nations Office, Drugs, U.S . Drug, Carlos Casado SA, Salesian, Supreme, FARC, Peace Foundation, Center for Studies, New, Iron Ministries, Preston, Tomas Bravo Graphics Locations: Paraguayan, Unification Church of South Korea, SENAD Paraguay, Chaco, Paraguay, Korea, Bolivian, Peruvian, Atlantic, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Europe, Argentine, Manhattan, “, Antwerp, Europe’s, Servín, Asunción, Seoul, New York City, United States, New Jersey, Tarrago, Va, U.S, Byun, Alvarenga, Chile, Ecuador, Colombian, Bolivia, American, South America, America, Puerto Casado, Gauto, Preston, Turin, Italy, Pennsylvania, Puerto

☆ FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried still faces campaign finance charges, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Campaign finance charges against Sam Bankman-Fried are still on the table and will be included in an indictment next week against the founder of failed crypto exchange FTX, prosecutors said in a letter to a Manhattan federal judge Tuesday. Bankman-Fried faces decades in prison if convicted on the original seven-count indictment, which centers around an alleged multibillion-dollar fraud against FTX investors. However, the government had been forced to drop additional allegations of campaign finance fraud in July because of the terms of the U.S. extradition treaty with the Bahamas, where Bankman-Fried and his company were based. The treaty with Bahamas prevents prosecutors from adding further charges against someone who has been extradited without first getting permission from the other government. The U.S. government had asked the Bahamas to extradite Bankman-Fried on a seven-count indictment, but prosecutors didn't get clearance from the Bahamas to add further charges of campaign finance and bribery to Bankman-Fried's indictment.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Bankman, didn't, FTX, —, Dawn Giel Organizations: Attorney's, Southern, of Locations: Manhattan, Bahamas, U.S, of New York

☆ Ukraine is tracking Da Vincis and Warhols on the art market to stop sanctioned Russian oligarchs cashing in by selling their assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has launched a site to track $1.3 billion of art owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs. The site lists artworks like Picassos and Warhols believed to be bought and sold by sanctioned figures. The nature of the art market offers many loopholes for the transfer of assets, the site says. The database, it says, will allow art market actors to check that they are not dealing in sanctioned goods. Art dealings can be a perfect vehicle for the quiet transfer of assets, largely taking place away from the public eye.

Persons: Warhols, Christ, Auguste Rodin's, Dmitry Rybolovlev, oligarch, Mikhail Fridman, Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, Kandinsky, Petr Aven, Vladimir Putin Organizations: National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Ukraine, EU Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Israeli

☆ 'Crypto couple' reach plea deal in $4.5 billion crypto heist
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'Crypto couple' reach plea deal in $4.5 billion crypto heistA New York man admitted being the original hacker of bitcoin in the 2016 hack on Bitfinex he pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, which ended up being worth $4.5 billion. The guilty plea by Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein in Washington, D.C., came before his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States government. Until the admission in court by Lichtenstein, it was not publicly known who had hacked the bitcoin from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.

Persons: Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan Organizations: Washington , D.C, United Locations: York, Washington ,, United States

A New York man on Thursday admitted being the original hacker of bitcoin in the 2016 hack on Bitfinex he pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, which ended up being worth $4.5 billion. Until Thursday's admission in court by Lichtenstein, it was not publicly known who had hacked the bitcoin from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. Morgan, an aspiring rapper known as "Razzlekahn" and "The Crocodile of Wall Street," was in court for her husband's plea hearing. Lichtenstein and Morgan were charged in the case with attempting to launder more than 119,000 bitcoin stolen in the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. "In actuality, Lichtenstein and Morgan used the account to launder proceeds of thehack of" Bitfinex, the filing charges.

Persons: Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, Morgan, Donald Trump, launder Organizations: Washington , D.C, Department of Justice, DOJ, U.S, Attorney's, District of Columbia, Prosecutors, Netflix Locations: York, Washington ,, Russian

☆ 'Crypto couple' husband confesses to being the original Bitfinex hacker during plea hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The "crypto couple" pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracies in federal court on Thursday. The couple was accused of conspiring to launder 119,764 stolen bitcoin worth $4.5 billion. Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of money-laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors said Lichtenstein and Morgan conspired to launder 119,764 bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, though the couple were not initially accused of carrying out the hack itself. The stolen bitcoin was worth $71 million at the time before skyrocketing in value in the subsequent years.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Both Lichtenstein, Prosecutors Organizations: Morning, CNBC, Department of Justice, Authorities, Prosecutors Locations: Russian, American, United States, Manhattan, Russia

☆ Opinion | The U.S. Is Finally Trying to Fix Its Money-Laundering Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Dec. 9, 2021, at the inaugural Summit for Democracy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a stunning admission: Her country had become the world’s most sought-after shelter for criminals’ money. “In the popular imagination,” she said, according to the prepared text for the virtual event, “the money-laundering capitals of the world are small countries with histories of loose and secretive financial laws. The good news: They’re slowly succeeding. New laws and rules, most of which were in the works before her speech, are stripping away veils of secrecy, making it easier to find and prosecute the bad guys. That’s good for democracy, because nothing corrodes faith in democracy more than the sense that the system is rigged and cheaters prosper.

Persons: Janet Yellen, ”, ” Yellen, They’re, Raymond W, Baker, Democracy — Organizations: for Democracy, “, Democracy Locations: United States

☆ Judge resets cypto couple plea hearings ahead of Trump appearance in D.C. court
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Trump was charged Tuesday on four felony counts related to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. The former president was summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Washington at 4 p.m. The bitcoin couple, Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein and Heather "Razzlekahn" Rhiannon Morgan, were already due to appear in the same court on the same day for separate plea hearings at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. Court filings last month suggested that they will plead guilty at those hearings. But on Wednesday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly moved Lichtenstein's hearing to 9:30 a.m. and his wife Morgan's hearing to 11 a.m. Thursday.

Persons: Thursday's, Donald Trump, Barrett Prettyman, Trump, Joe Biden, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather, Razzlekahn, Rhiannon Morgan, Colleen Kollar, Kotelly Organizations: Washington , D.C, Justice Locations: Washington ,, U.S, Washington

U.S. financial authorities last week barred 14 Iraqi banks from conducting dollar transactions as part of a wider crackdown on dollar smuggling to Iran via the Iraqi banking system, Iraqi central bank officials have said. U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said the measures were not sanctions, as they have been referred to by Iraq's Central Bank governor. Iraqi central bank (CBI) Governor Ali al-Allaq said on Wednesday the institution was following up on the issue and he had no indication the U.S. would impose "sanctions" on more Iraqi banks. The 14 banks have been banned from undertaking dollar transactions but can continue to use Iraqi dinars and other foreign currencies. The latest U.S. measures, along with previous curbs on eight banks, have left nearly a third of Iraq's 72 banks blacklisted, two Iraqi central bank officials said.

Persons: Vedant Patel, Patel, Ali al, Allaq, Haider al, Shamma, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Richard Chang, Daniel Wallis Organizations: . State Department, Iraq's Central Bank, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Central Bank of, U.S . Treasury Department, New York Fed, CBI, U.S ., Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraqi, United States, Iran, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, U.S, Tehran, Iraq's, Baghdad

☆ Congress hands the crypto industry two wins and a loss before August recess
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The House Financial Services Committee advanced a measure Thursday to establish a clear regulatory framework for the issuance of payment stablecoins. The bills' approvals, after a roughly 14-month debate between committee Republicans and Democrats, can be viewed as wins for the crypto industry, whose reputation on Capitol Hill was battered by the failure of crypto giant FTX last fall. Late Thursday night, the Senate passed a massive defense funding bill that included several measures from different bills the digital-assets industry has opposed. Warren also highlighted the National Defense Authorization Act rider this week by reintroducing her bill, the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act. The House crypto bills would likely garner enough support to pass in the Republican-controlled House, but struggle to gain traction in the Democratic-controlled Senate

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Patrick McHenry, Jim Himes, Josh Gottheimer, Crypto, Sen, Warren, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Roger Marshall of, Lindsey Graham of Organizations: Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs Committee, WASHINGTON — Lawmakers, Capitol, Financial Services Committee, Financial Services, Connecticut, Republicans, Democrats, Treasury Department, Treasury, Defense, Money, Democratic, Senate, Republican Locations: Massachusetts, Washington , DC, R, New Jersey, crypto's, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

☆ Ecudor crisis: How gang warfare jumped from Ecuador's prisons to the open street
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Frantic purchases of ammunition, the daylight assassination of a mayor, and a growing body count inside Ecuador’s prisons signal that the country’s roiling security crisis is going from bad to worse. Violence has been most pronounced on Ecuador’s Pacific coast as criminal groups battle to control and distribute narcotics, primarily cocaine. The country has also lost control of its prisons, which are often ruled by the criminal gangs. Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso speaks during a meeting in the Carondelet Palace in Quito on November 10, 2021. The crisis has also affected the security and justice system with allegations of corruption swirling around some in courts and police.

Persons: Agustin Intriago, Ariana Chancay, Agustin Intriago's, Dolores Ochoa, Guillermo Lasso, Vicente Gaibor del Pino, Coronel Mario Pazmiño, CRISTINA VEGA RHOR, Lasso, ” Lasso, ”, Fausto Salinas, Luisa Gonzalez, Otto Sonnenholzner, Yaku Perez Organizations: CNN, Manta, Security, Authorities, Reuters, Ecuadorian Army, Getty, Public Security Council, Ecuadorian Locations: Ecuador’s, Guayaquil, Manta, Ecuador, South America, North America, Europe, Peru, Colombia, America, Bolivia, Carondelet, Quito, AFP, Manabi

☆ Lawsuit accuses billionaire Leon Black of raping autistic teenager at Jeffrey Epstein's townhouse
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Leon Black, Chairman, CEO and Director, Apollo Global Management, LLC, speaks at the Milken Institute's 21st Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, May 1, 2018. A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accused Leon Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, of raping a then-16-year-old girl with autism in 2002 at the Manhattan townhouse of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. "Wigdor's prior case against Mr. Black was recently thrown out by the Court and this one will be too. "This sham proceeding will be promptly dismissed and will provide further ammunition for Mr. Black's pending sanctions motion against the Wigdor firm," the lawyer said. The bid for sanctions also references Guzel Ganieva, who was represented by Wigdor in a 2021 lawsuit accusing Black of sexual assault and defamation was dismissed in May.

Persons: Leon Black, Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Wigdor, Black, Jane Doe, Jeanne Christensen, Jane Doe's, " Christensen, Susan Estrich, Estrich, Black's, Cheri Pierson, Pierson, Guzel Ganieva, Ganieva Organizations: Apollo Global Management, Milken, Global Conference, Black, New York Times, U.S . Virgin, Senate Finance, New York Supreme, Wigdor Locations: Beverly Hills , California, Manhattan, U.S, New York, Epstein's Manhattan

☆ Bannon co-defendant Shea sentenced to 5-1/4 years over 'We Build the Wall' fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Timothy Shea's sentence was the longest imposed over the "We Build the Wall" campaign, which federal prosecutors said raised more than $25 million from hundreds of thousands of donors. Two other defendants, who pleaded guilty, received shorter prison terms. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was also charged in the case, but Trump pardoned him in the final hours of his presidency. Two other defendants, the campaign's leader Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pleaded guilty and were sentenced in April to 4-1/4 years and three years in prison, respectively. Bannon was criminally charged last September by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with state law violations arising from the wall campaign.

Persons: Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Callaghan O'Hare, Donald, Timothy Shea's, Steve Bannon, Trump, Shea, Analisa Torres, Torres, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, Bannon, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Luc Cohen, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Texas, REUTERS, Trump, District, U.S, Prosecutors, Manhattan, Attorney, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Pharr , Texas, Manhattan, Rock , Colorado, New York

The New York couple charged with trying to launder $4.5 billion in bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Bitfinex appear set to plead guilty in the case. An information is a type of charging document that federal prosecutors typically use when defendants have agreed to plead guilty. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Friday ordered prosecutors and defense lawyers to provide plea paperwork to her by Thursday, the docket shows. The couple was not charged in the hack of the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange. The bitcoin stolen in the hack was worth just $70 million at the time of the theft, but soared in value in the following years.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Colleen Kollar, didn't Organizations: D.C, Attorney's, CNBC, Prosecutors, Department of Justice, Netflix Locations: York, Washington, United States, Russian, U.S, Hong Kong

☆ US couple accused of laundering crypto from Bitfinex hack reach plea deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - An American couple accused of laundering $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from the 2016 hacking of virtual currency exchange Bitfinex have entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Washington, court records showed on Friday. They are set to appear for a plea hearing on Aug. 3 before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, court records showed. A lawyer for Lichtenstein and Morgan and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The pair was accused of conspiring to launder more than 100,000 bitcoin that was stolen, after a hacker attacked Bitfinex and initiated more than 2,0000 unauthorized transactions. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, Colleen Kollar, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Bitfinex, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Oatis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: YORK, U.S, Thomson Locations: American, Washington, Manhattan, New York

☆ Convicted Nigerian politician Ibori faces huge UK confiscation order
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Estelle Shirbon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - A London court should order the confiscation of more than 100 million pounds ($129 million) from Nigerian politician James Ibori, a convicted fraudster who spent years in prison in Britain, a state prosecutor told the court on Thursday. A former governor of oil-producing Delta State in southern Nigeria, Ibori was extradited in 2011 from Dubai to London, where he was charged with laundering a corruptly acquired fortune. He told Reuters by text message he planned to appeal against the confiscation order. In 2021, it returned 4.2 million pounds that had been confiscated from Ibori's ex-wife and his sister, who also served jail time for helping him launder money. ($1 = 0.7745 pounds)(This story has been corrected to say the judge made 'factual findings' not a 'confiscation order' after clarification from judge, in paragraph 6)Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: James Ibori, fraudster, Ibori, David Tomlinson, Jonathan Kinnear, Bola Tinubu, Estelle Shirbon, Alex Richardson Organizations: Delta, Southwark Crown, Thomson Locations: Nigerian, Britain, Delta State, Nigeria, Dubai, London, Southwark, Ibori, Ibori's

☆ Life at Sea's three-year cruise will get a bigger ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Life at Sea Cruises is now owned and operated entirely by Miray Cruises, a company with a 30-year history of operating in the Aegean. Bigger ship, fewer guestsStaterooms on the new ship will have 20 square feet more per cabin, say Miray Cruises. Life at Sea CruisesMeanwhile, Miray says it is launching its first Life at Sea cruise in its new ship as planned in November. MV Lara will be larger than the Gemini, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises, told CNN. And this Miray team is accommodating to everyone – If there are concerns, they fix it, if there are ideas they put them into place.

Persons: Miray, “, Mikael Petterson, Irina Strembitsky, Petterson, Staterooms, Lara, Kendra Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, Cruises, Heidi Klum, AIDA Cruises, Sharon Lane, ”, ’ ”, Meredith Shay, Shay, Ingrid Warwick, “ It’ll, “ That’s, Finnbarr Webster Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Miray Cruises, Gemini, Carnival, Sea, Petterson, Vie Locations: Europe, German, “, Florida, Germany, Istanbul

☆ Nobel economist Paul Krugman slams crypto as mostly useless, after saying it's hugely overpriced and helps criminals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paul Krugman says crypto is mostly useless, overvalued, and appeals to bank skeptics and criminals. The Nobel Prize-winning economist flagged a "crypto bubble" and the "dark side" of the crypto world. Krugman has dismissed crypto as inefficient, volatile, and propped up by hype and speculation. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. Krugman delivered a far harsher critique of crypto in a New York Times op-ed in April.

☆ Bank of America opens Luxembourg branch in Europe funds push
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) has hired former BNP Paribas banker Benoit Nevouet to be the manager of a newly created Luxembourg branch as the U.S. lender seeks to grow its business in Europe, a senior executive at Bank of America told Reuters. The opening of a branch in the small but wealthy country will mean Bank of America can help clients such as investment funds with local bank accounts and other services, said Matthew Davies, head of the U.S. lender's global transaction services unit for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Bank of America is first focused on bringing across existing clients which it served from a partner bank in Luxembourg to its new branch, Davies told Reuters. The U.S. bank is also hiring a dedicated money laundering reporting officer, as well as an initial handful of other support staff in functions such as compliance, risk and legal, to support the Luxembourg branch, Davies said. Bank of America's transaction services business accounts for some 10% of the lender's overall revenues, helping large multinational corporations with routine but vital products such as making payments and managing their cash.

☆ Forest search resumes for Kenyan death cult victims of 'highly organised crime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHAKAHOLA FOREST, Kenya, May 9 (Reuters) - Kenyan investigators have resumed the search for members of a doomsday cult in a forest where more than 100 corpses, mostly of children, have been exhumed, victims of a "highly organised crime", Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said on Tuesday. "We have many more graves in this forest, and therefore it leads us to conclude that this was a highly organised crime," Kindiki told reporters. Search and rescue efforts for people "suspected to be holed up in the thickets and bushes have been going on". President William Ruto on Friday announced an inquiry into the mass deaths, while a court kept Mackenzie in detention pending further investigations. Reporting by Dicksy Obiero in the Shakahola Forest and Hereward Holland and Humphrey Malalo in Nairobi; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meet the 'new' Elizabeth Holmes: She's ditched the turtlenecks, abandoned the weird voice, and wants you to call her Liz
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elizabeth Holmes gave a series of pre-prison interviews to the New York Times. There's a new Elizabeth Holmes in town, at least according to The New York Times — but no one's really falling for it. New York Times Helps Elizabeth Holmes Launder Her Reputation Before Prison" to people putting the story on blast on Twitter. "God forbid I get in any more back and forth on here today but I…..didn't hate the Elizabeth Holmes profile? Elizabeth Holmes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent via her legal representative Lance Wade after regular business hours.

And Ecuadorian authorities have struggled to tackle this public security crisis “efficiently because it is mired in (a) political crisis,” González says. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso is at the center of this storm, and his popularity has tanked amid widespread discontent with spiraling crime rates. Before President Guillermo Lasso took office, Ecuador had already become a key transit hub for cocaine due to its location between Peru and Colombia. Lasso told Ecuador’s legislative commission investigating him that he had not evaded taxes and that his tax trajectory was legally supported. Members of unions and civil society groups march on International Workers' Day to demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leave office on May 1, 2023.

☆ European police arrest more than 100 mafia suspects in drug crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The swoop was part of an investigation spanning Italy, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Romania, Brazil and Panama, according to European Union law enforcement agency Europol. The network was devoted primarily to international drug trafficking from South America to both Europe and Australia, Europol said in a statement. A total of 108 people were arrested in Italy and other EU countries on the orders of police in the southern city of Reggio Calabria, Italian police said. Related investigations led to the arrest of 24 people in Germany, they said, as well as a further 53 detentions in northern Italy. The interior minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said 18 of the arrests were made there.

For years, the giant cryptocurrency exchange Binance has had a reputation for dodging regulators and skirting financial rules, all without significant consequences. Now the world’s largest crypto exchange is facing mounting legal pressure. Justice Department prosecutors are investigating the exchange for money laundering violations, as the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into the company’s business practices. Last month, another agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, sued Mr. Zhao, accusing him of compliance failures that allowed criminals to launder money on Binance. “It’s the biggest exchange for crypto, and if it gets clamped down on, that’s going to be a big deal,” said Hilary Allen, a crypto expert at American University.

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