prosecutor

The French National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (Pnaco) has stated that cases of kidnapping and illegal detention involving cryptocurrency are continuing to surge. Among the 12 related cases currently under investigation, 88 people have been prosecuted, including more than 10 minors, and another 75 are in custody awaiting trial.Prosecutor's data shows that since 2023, French law enforcement has recorded 135 such cases, with 18 in 2024, rising to 67 in 2025, and reaching 47 so far in 2026. Many of these cases involve violent kidnappings, ransom extortion, and forcing victims to transfer cryptocurrency assets. The prosecution pointed out that some suspects have appeared multiple times in different cases, indicating the formation of a structured criminal network behind it. The previous kidnapping incident involving Ledger co-founder David Balland is also seen as an important sign of the escalating security risks in the French cryptocurrency industry.

According to Decrypt, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced that it has recovered and seized over $600,000 in cryptocurrency after a Ledger hardware wallet user fell victim to a phishing scam, being lured into performing a so-called security check by a letter impersonating "Ledger Security and Compliance," resulting in approximately $234,000 in crypto assets being stolen.The FBI and state police tracked the flow of funds, successfully seizing about $600,000 in USDT and filing a civil forfeiture lawsuit, alleging that the source of the funds involved wire fraud and money laundering. It is reported that this is one of a series of phishing incidents targeting hardware wallet users, where scammers used physical mail letters featuring company logos, holograms, and QR codes to enhance the credibility of the fraud. Similar incidents have affected companies like Ledger and Trezor, accompanied by data breaches and vulnerabilities in third-party services, leading to ongoing phishing attacks.

According to CNN, citing multiple sources, federal prosecutors in Manhattan, New York, are investigating whether some high-yield bets in prediction markets violate insider trading and other laws.According to insiders, the head of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York recently met with representatives from Polymarket to discuss how existing laws might apply to potential misconduct in this rapidly evolving industry. The U.S. Department of Justice is focusing on those high-profile high-yield bets, marking an escalation in regulatory scrutiny of the industry. Over the past year, the prediction market industry has rapidly expanded with relatively limited federal oversight.

According to CoinDesk, federal prosecutors submitted documents to the judge questioning the authenticity of a letter claimed by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to have been sent from prison. Prosecutors pointed out that the letter was actually sent via FedEx from the Palo Alto or Menlo Park area, which does not match the Terminal Island federal prison where he is located, and the letter incorrectly labeled his federal prison as a state facility, using a typed signature instead of a handwritten one, violating the federal prison's prohibition on using private couriers to send mail.Although prosecutors did not directly accuse SBF or his associates of forging documents, they stated that the aforementioned inconsistencies are sufficient to raise reasonable doubts about the letter's origin, which will affect the credibility of related evidence in his motion for reconsideration. SBF is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy and is actively seeking a reconsideration, but the appellate judges have shown clear skepticism towards his claims.

According to Bloomberg, U.S. prosecutors stated that FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried's request for a retrial should be denied because he failed to prove that his conviction was unjust.SBF is serving a 25-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of fraud and conspiracy in connection with the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange in 2023.

According to Decrypt, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit seeking to seize approximately $3.4 million in USDT, alleging it is the proceeds of cryptocurrency investment fraud and money laundering.Prosecutors state that victims have been approached since the end of 2024 through methods such as "wrong text messages." After establishing relationships via WhatsApp, Telegram, and other platforms, they were guided to invest in an exclusive Ethereum project purportedly backed by physical gold. In practice, victims were instructed to transfer ETH to an intermediary wallet, which was then converted to USDT and transferred to a non-custodial wallet to conceal the source and ownership of the funds.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, the office has filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit seeking to recover approximately 3.444 million USDT (worth about 3.444 million USD), which are suspected to be proceeds from an online investment fraud and money laundering scheme.The case involves at least four victims, including two residents of Massachusetts, one resident of Utah, and one resident of South Carolina. The scammers established contact with the victims through seemingly misdirected messages sent via SMS or encrypted communication apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and then lured the victims into investing in a so-called Ethereum investment opportunity backed by physical gold. Victims were instructed to purchase ETH and transfer it to an intermediary wallet controlled by the scammers, who then converted the ETH into USDT and transferred it to an unmanaged wallet to steal the funds.

According to The Block, the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office in South Korea sold 320.8 bitcoins, with the proceeds of 31.6 billion won (approximately 21.5 million USD) submitted to the national treasury.This batch of bitcoins was originally confiscated after a crackdown on an illegal gambling platform, but was stolen due to a phishing attack on officials, until the hacker voluntarily returned it in February of this year. The prosecution then sold it in batches over 11 days (from February 24 to March 6). The hacker is still at large, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to The Block, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston has initiated a civil forfeiture lawsuit seeking to recover approximately 327,829.720952 USDT. These funds are suspected to have originated from a cryptocurrency scam targeting residents of Massachusetts through a dating app.The investigation reveals that the case began in the fall of 2024. Victims met a suspect who claimed to be "Linda Brown" on the dating app and were lured into participating in so-called "cryptocurrency investments" after weeks of communication. The victims sent funds to wallets controlled by the suspect or their accomplices, only realizing they had been scammed when attempts to withdraw failed. Prosecutors stated that the stolen funds were transferred through multiple wallets and exchanged for USDT, ultimately used for money laundering transactions.

According to The Block, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig announced the appointment of David Miller as the head of the agency's enforcement division.Miller previously served as a federal prosecutor and has extensive experience in digital asset cases in the private sector. This appointment comes as the CFTC is preparing to play a more significant role in regulating the cryptocurrency industry. Miller stated, "I am honored to join the CFTC during this exciting time of transformation." Selig emphasized that Miller will focus on "combating fraud, abuse, and manipulation, rather than policy-making."

The CFTC Chairman has appointed former federal prosecutor and private practice attorney David Miller to lead the agency's enforcement division.David Miller previously served as a litigation partner at Greenberg Traurig and Morgan Lewis, focusing on commodities, securities, digital assets, and national security, and he has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Michael Selig stated that David Miller will be dedicated to combating fraud, abuse, and manipulation, rather than formulating policy. Currently, Washington lawmakers are pushing to grant the CFTC broader jurisdiction over the cryptocurrency industry.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced on Monday that former prosecutor David Miller will become the agency's chief enforcement officer. This move comes as the CFTC is preparing to strengthen its oversight of cryptocurrency and prediction markets.As the new enforcement chief of the CFTC, Miller will be responsible for leading the agency's regulatory enforcement efforts in the digital asset space.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the seizure of over $61 million in USDT. These funds were traced to cryptocurrency addresses associated with "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scams.The investigation revealed that criminals often gain victims' trust under the pretense of establishing romantic relationships, then claim to have professional skills in generating high profits through cryptocurrency trading, guiding victims to use fake trading platforms that mimic legitimate ones. These platforms showcase fictitious high-return portfolios to entice victims to increase their investments. When victims attempt to withdraw funds, the scammers further extract money under the pretext of needing to pay "taxes" or "fees."

According to CNN, New York Attorney General Letitia James and several prosecutors, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, recently sent a joint letter to federal senators criticizing the U.S. stablecoin regulation bill, the "GENIUS Act," for serious flaws. They stated that it fails to effectively protect victims of fraud and may provide legal cover for stablecoin issuers to "profit from fraud."In the letter, the prosecutors accused that while the bill establishes bank-like reserve requirements for stablecoins, it lacks a mandatory provision requiring companies to return stolen funds to victims. This omission would "embolden stablecoin issuers and even provide them with legal cover when they actively decide to continue controlling stolen funds instead of returning them to victims."The letter further accused two major issuers of specific behaviors: Tether, while capable of freezing suspicious USDT transactions, only handles cases on an individual basis in cooperation with federal law enforcement; while Circle is accused of being inclined to hold rather than return funds to victims even after agreeing to freeze them, earning interest by investing these underlying assets, which constitutes a "clear" economic incentive to refuse law enforcement requests.

According to South Korean media Ohmy News, the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office recently suspected that a large amount of Bitcoin, seized and stored due to criminal cases, has gone missing. The specific number of lost Bitcoins has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be worth hundreds of billions of Korean won. The prosecution is conducting an internal investigation.The Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office discovered the loss during a routine check for any anomalies in the financial assets. At that time, they were examining the passwords related to Bitcoin stored on a removable storage device (USB drive). A prosecutor official stated, "We learned that the incident occurred during a routine check of the seized Bitcoins, where we inadvertently accessed a so-called 'fake (scam) website.' Internal discussions within the prosecution suggest that the lost Bitcoins could be worth up to 70 billion Korean won." An official from the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office responded to media inquiries by stating, "We cannot confirm this matter."

According to Cointelegraph, the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office in South Korea has launched an investigation into the theft of approximately 70 billion won (47.7 million USD) worth of seized Bitcoin.Reports indicate that the prosecutors discovered the missing Bitcoin during a routine asset seizure check. These crypto assets were stolen through a phishing attack after a staff member visited a fraudulent website. The prosecutors declined to disclose the specific amount of loss and the timing of the Bitcoin seizure, only stating that they are tracking the status and whereabouts of the seized items. This incident occurred after South Korean customs authorities dismantled a large cryptocurrency money laundering network earlier this week.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell. The investigation focuses on the renovation project at the Federal Reserve's Washington headquarters and whether Jerome H. Powell lied to Congress about the scale of the project.The investigation was approved by Prosecutor Jeanine Pirro in November 2025 and includes an analysis of Jerome H. Powell's public statements and a review of expenditure records. The renovation project has a budget of approximately $2.5 billion and is currently estimated to be over budget by $700 million. Jerome H. Powell previously denied in a congressional hearing that the project included luxury features such as private elevators and marble decor, stating that some functions had been cut back as the project plan evolved. The Federal Reserve has declined to comment on the matter.

Florida prosecutors seized approximately $1.5 million worth of cryptocurrency in an investment fraud case. It is reported that the suspect's wallet holds cryptocurrencies such as AVAX, DOGE, PEPE, SOL, and Bitcoin. The Florida State Attorney's Office's Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit has obtained a court order, and the suspect is currently charged with money laundering, grand theft, and organized fraud.

According to DL News, Russian prosecutors are seeking to confiscate a large amount of luxury assets belonging to fugitive secret service officer Georgy Satyukov. He is accused of receiving $184 million worth of Bitcoin and $30 million worth of Ethereum as bribes from the operator of the now-defunct WEX cryptocurrency exchange, while investigators have identified assets valued at $29.6 million related to Satyukov's alleged bribery.Prosecutors claim that Satyukov used the illicit funds to purchase 13 apartments in Russia, several non-residential properties in St. Petersburg, a villa in the UAE, and a million-dollar property in Saratov registered in his brother's name.Additionally, the investigation revealed that he owns two Porsche Cayenne Turbos, seven Patek Philippe watches, and other jewelry worth over $1.3 million, with more than $15 million in cash and foreign currency still in his family bank accounts.It is alleged that the bribes originated from Alexey Ivanov, a former system administrator of the WEX exchange, who sought Satyukov's help to evade a criminal investigation. Satyukov and his former colleague Dmitry Sokolov are currently fugitives, and a Moscow court is preparing to conduct a trial in absentia. If convicted, their assets may be nationalized. The WEX exchange took over the trading operations of BTC-e in 2017, which had shut down after its founder Alexander Vinnik was arrested in Greece on fraud and money laundering charges, and WEX also ceased operations in 2018.

According to Cryptopolitan, former U.S. federal prosecutor Danielle Sassoon firmly denied ever promising immunity to Michelle Bond, a partner of former FTX executive Ryan Salame, during a high-stakes evidence hearing at the Manhattan federal court. During the hearing, Sassoon testified about the guilty plea of Ryan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, who was sentenced to over seven years in prison for his plea. Further scrutiny of this former FTX executive and his then-girlfriend Michelle Bond has led Sassoon to face campaign finance allegations. "I had no intention to set a trap or coerce anyone into pleading guilty," Sassoon stated regarding Bond being prosecuted after Salame's guilty plea.Bond is one of the last few associates involved in the criminal case against former FTX executives, and she is seeking to dismiss the charges, arguing that the prosecutors "induced Salame's guilty plea." Bond has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to make illegal campaign contributions, facilitating and accepting excessive campaign contributions, facilitating and receiving illegal corporate contributions, and facilitating and receiving conduit contributions.