FBI
Maybe it WAS illegal: Mango Markets exploiter arrested on fraud charges
The crypto trader behind the $110 million exploit of decentralized exchange Mango Markets has been arrested in Puerto Rico — and charged with market manipulation and fraud. According to a previously sealed complaint filed with the Southern District of New York and made public on Dec. 27, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pinned Avraham Eisenberg with one count commodities fraud and one count of commodities manipulation in relation to his exploit of Mango Markets. Eisenberg’s Oct. 11 exploit of Mango Markets worked by manipulating the value of the platform’s native token, MNGO, artificially inflating its price relative to USD Coin (USDC). Eisenberg and his team then took out “massive loans” against its inflated collateral, which drained Mango’s treasury of around $110 million worth ...
Sam Bankman-Fried found ‘chilling’ in JFK airport lounge on $250M bail bond
The momentary arrest of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) can be attributed to the efforts taken by the crypto community to aid investigations and track down the whereabouts of the infamous entrepreneur. While SBF eventually escaped prison time via a $250 million bail bond, the community continues to monitor his every move publicly. Just three days after being released on a personal recognizance bond, a crypto community member allegedly spotted SBF “chilling” in a John F. Kennedy International Airport lounge. The supporting images were shared on Twitter by @litcapital, which shows SBF sitting on a lounge chair with access to a laptop and mobile phone. Sam Bankman-Fried found at the JFK airport lounge. Source: Twitter Based on the pictures, other community members confirmed that SBF’s ...
FBI seeks Bitcoin wallet information of ransomware attackers
Three federal agencies in the United States — the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center — jointly issued an advisory seeking information to curb ransomware attacks. As part of the #StopRansomware campaign, the joint cybersecurity advisory alerted citizens of Vice Society, a ransomware-type program that encrypts data and demands ransom for decryption. The trio anticipates a spike in ransomware attacks, primarily aimed at educational institutions, adding that “School districts with limited cybersecurity capabilities and constrained resources are often the most vulnerable.” While proactive measures remain vital to counter ransomware, the FBI asked US citizens to report infor...
Can the government track Bitcoin?
Apart from data analysis done alone or in cooperation with private companies, authorities may request information from centralized exchanges. Due to regulation, centralized exchanges may also be obligated to share such information. However, not all cryptocurrency exchanges collaborate with authorities. A centralized exchange is a cryptocurrency exchange that is run by a single entity, such as Coinbase. To become a licensed operator in a certain country or territory, centralized exchanges need to comply with regulations. For instance, to decrease cryptocurrency anonymity and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies, most centralized exchanges have incorporated Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. KYC is meant to verify customers’ identities alongside helping authorities to analyze activity...
Trump Shook Over FBI Probe of Documents Found at Mar-A-Lago
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: RONDA CHURCHILL / Getty The recent search of the home of former President Donald Trump last week by the FBI has apparently struck a serious nerve, as Trump is showing public signs of panic online. According to a report, the search of the private club in Palm Beach, Fka. by the FBI which was conducted last Monday (August 8th) and led to the procurement of several boxes containing highly classified government documents has Donald Trump, the former POTUS in a frenzied state of panic. His reaction? He’s now changing his position almost daily and is obsessed with trying to figure out who in his inner circle could be the person who is the informant that alerted the government agency on where to locate the boxes of documents at Mar-A-Lago. When asked about Trump...
FBI Search Of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Home Reportedly Connected To Nuclear Documents
Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 15 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor for Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. D.L. covers a variety of topics including breaking news, politics, Hip-Hop music and culture, fashion, and Black history. He currently heads the SPIRIT.ED column for Cassius Life, which focuses on adult beverages and their history. D.L. has worked in the past for MTV News, Billboard, and several other publications. His first big break in journalism came with the now-defunct Politically Black in 1999, the nation’s first ...
‘Pig slaughtering’ crypto scams reap millions on Silicon Valley dating apps
Lonely hearts in Silicon Valley are reportedly falling prey to a wave of “pig slaughtering” crypto scams via dating applications. An investigator for cybersecurity company Sift found that one in 20 people who approached her on dating apps in San Francisco was working the scam. Pig slaughtering, or butchering, is a type of scam in which an individual/group puts in weeks or months of work to build a fake relationship with the victim, metaphorically fattening them up. The end goal is to get the victim to invest in crypto via either a duplicated version of a legitimate website or by transferring funds to a dodgy wallet address. The scammers often shift the conversations over from dating apps or social media to encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp and put in countless hours of daily co...
F.B.I. Investigates Basquiat Paintings At Orlando Museum
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Rose Hartman / Getty As a resurgence of interest in the works of the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is taking place, a recent grouping of paintings has aroused suspicion and the interest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to reports, the Art Crime Team of the F.B.I. has opened an investigation into the authenticity of 25 paintings on display in an exhibit entitled “Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat” at the Orlando Museum of Art. The agency reportedly issued a federal subpoena last July to obtain “any and all” communications between employees of the museum and owners of the paintings. The request also demanded records from the museum’s board of trustees. The owners of the artwork and the museum’s director and chief executive, Aar...
Terrible crypto trader gets 42 months for fraud, claiming he was a total gun
A crypto trader who defrauded over 170 people was sentenced to 42 months in prison on May 11 for operating a series of cryptocurrency funds claiming to make big returns but in reality were losing money and instead operated as a Ponzi scheme. The DOJ said that 25 year old Jeremy Spence had solicited millions through false representations, “including that Spence’s crypto trading had been extremely profitable when, in fact, Spence’s trading had been consistently unprofitable.” Spence, who operated the social media channels for a crypto investment scheme called “Coin Signals” was handed the decision by United Stated District Judge Lewis Kaplan for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Spence was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to p...
FBI director: Russia overestimates its ability to bypass US sanctions using crypto
Christopher Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said that fiat was a more likely avenue for Russia to explore in circumventing sanctions, given the United States’ ability to block efforts using crypto. In a Thursday hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich asked the FBI director if Russia might respond to the economic impact of the United States banning imports of the country’s oil and gas by using reserves of gold, China’s currency or cryptocurrency. Director Wray said the FBI and its partners had “built up significant expertise” on digital assets, citing the department’s recent work in seizing large amounts of tokens as evidence there were vulnerabilities in using crypto to get around sanctions. “The Rus...
Fetty Wap Arrested By FBI For Alleged Role In Opioid Drug Ring, What We Know
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Rapper Fetty Wap has been arrested and is facing charges after allegedly being a part of a bicoastal opioid drug ring. According to Deadline, Fetty Wap, real name William Junior Maxwell, was arrested last week at New York’s CitiField on a two-count federal indictment. The “Trap Queen” rapper was going to be a part of the three-day Rolling Loud music festival at the New York Mets’ home stadium but never made it to the stage. After the arrest, Maxwell stood before a Long Island judge on charges of being what the government is calling a “kilogram-level dealer” of opioids. News of the arrest comes just a week after the release of The Butterfly Effect, the rapper’s second studio album—inspired largely by the death of his young daughte...
Pentagon: US team going to Haiti to assess needs
A team of U.S. security and law enforcement experts is traveling to Haiti to determine what assistance Washington can provide following the assassination of the Haitian president last week, the Pentagon said on Sunday. “Today, an inter-agency team largely from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are heading down to Haiti right now to see what we can to do help in the investigative process,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s really where our energies are best applied right now – in helping them get their arms around investigating this incident and figuring out who’s culpable … and how best to hold them accountable,” Kirby said in the interview. President Joe Biden will be briefed by the team when it returns and “then make decisions about the way forwa...
