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Top Ten Money Laundering Enforcement Actions of 2022

Posted  01/10/23
person following a trail of money
2022 was a big year for money-laundering enforcement.  It marked the first full year that the new FinCEN money laundering whistleblower office was up and running.  And, even more remarkably, by the end of the year, the FinCEN program expanded to welcome whistleblowers with information related to sanctions violations after Constantine Cannon attorneys called for this legal change following the Russian invasion of...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, Money Laundering, Top 10,

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The Scale of Crypto Fraud

Posted  09/27/22
Hundred Dollars Bills and Crypto Coins
Whistleblower associate Liz Soltan, along with Alex Cala of Taxpayers Against Fraud, recently wrote about the massive scale of cryptocurrency fraud on the TAF blog. As use of crypto has increased, so too have scams. Between Jan. 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022, over 46,000 people made reports to the FTC about losing money in crypto fraud, with losses totaling over $1 billion. And that’s just victims who chose to make...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud,

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Crypto projects are toying with public funds. The False Claims Act will be a powerful tool in holding them to account

Posted  09/21/22
cryptocurrency and stocks
Last month, the Fairfax County Retirement System shared that they will be putting $70 million of their $6.8 billion fund into two crypto yield farming funds. In other words, pension money that allows teachers, firefighters, and police officers to retire will be invested into volatile digital tokens known as yield-farming projects. Yield-farming projects offer yields that are significantly higher than those...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, FCA State, Financial and Investment Fraud,

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SEC Keeps Crypto Fraud in Its Sights Through Expanded Enforcement Team

Posted  05/4/22
The SEC announced on May 3 that it was dramatically expanding its Cyber Unit and renaming the team the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit.  The newly enlarged team will now include fully 50 enforcement personnel. The expanded team shows that the SEC is continuing to see crypto fraud as a major enforcement priority.  As the number of digital currencies continue to grow and the increasing number of new investors in the...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Securities Fraud,

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SEC Hits Crypto Firm BlockFi with $100 Million in Penalties

Posted  02/22/22
Assorted Crypto Coins
The SEC recently announced cryptocurrency financial institution BlockFi agreed to pay $100 million to resolve charges it violated securities laws. Half the penalties will go to the SEC, and the other half will go to 32 states that brought similar charges. The settlement represents the largest recorded penalties the Commission has ever imposed on a crypto firm. It also sends a clear message the SEC will not shy away...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Securities Fraud,

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Top Ten SEC and CFTC Recoveries of 2021

Posted  01/7/22
Top Ten Sign with Letters
As we recently detailed, 2021 proved to be a blockbuster year for whistleblowers under the CFTC and SEC Whistleblower Programs.  Seven of the ten largest whistleblower awards of 2021 were made to SEC and CFTC whistleblowers, including a massive $200 million CFTC award that was roughly twice as large as all prior CFTC awards combined.  In total, the SEC paid more awards—both in total dollars and individual...

Tagged in: Accounting Fraud, CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Misrepresentations, Money Laundering, Regulatory Violations, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Securities Fraud, Top 10,

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Is the privatization of whistleblower programs a trend?

Posted  12/3/21
various cryptocurrency on table
Tether is a type of cryptocurrency known as a “stablecoin.”  That means, in theory, that anyone buying Tether is promised Tether holds an equal amount of U.S. currency to back up your crypto purchases.  There’s just one problem with that:  no one has seen any proof that Tether actually holds anywhere close to sufficient currency to back up the billions in stablecoins traded.  All Tether has offered is an...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Whistleblower Rewards,

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SEC Chairman Views Cryptocurrency Markets as the “Wild West” and Calls for More Investor Protection

Posted  08/13/21
Cryptocurrency and US Hundred Dollar Bills Scattered Around
During a recent speech discussing the intersection of national security with cryptocurrencies at the Aspen Security Forum, Gary Gensler, the new Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), made clear the SEC will use its broad powers to continue protecting investors from the volatility associated with cryptocurrency markets which he characterized as the “Wild West.”  He also urged Congress to grant...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Insider Trading, Market Manipulation and Trading Violations, Ponzi Schemes, Securities Fraud, Whistleblower Rewards,

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How will regulators respond to Bitcoin’s price fluctuations?

Posted  05/18/21
Bitcoins stacked with stocks rising
The price of Bitcoin—never stable—has become even more erratic in the last month.  From April 17 to May 17, the price fell 26%.  Such a huge drop would be noteworthy in a stock investment.  But in something claiming to be a currency, that kind of instability is normally only seen in times of crisis and hyperinflation.  Coming just as cryptocurrencies are making a play to be considered mainstream, this latest...

Tagged in: Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Insider Trading, Market Manipulation and Trading Violations, Ponzi Schemes, Securities Fraud,

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CFTC Clobbers Cryptocurrency Con Man

Posted  04/1/21
cryptocurrency scam
Last week, the CFTC announced that a federal court entered a nearly $600 million default judgment against a British man who used bitcoin to defraud more than 1,000 people worldwide.  The judgment is yet another indication that the CFTC will vigorously police cryptocurrency fraud.

The Scam

The CFTC filed a complaint against Benjamin Reynolds and his bitcoin trading and investment company, Control-Finance, back in...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Ponzi Schemes,

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