1. Home
  2. Crimes

Crimes

US gov’t cites ex-FTX exec’s ‘exemplary cooperation’ before sentencing

Prosecutors asked Judge Lewis Kaplan to consider Nishad Singh’s “substantial assistance” to the government in its case against Sam Bankman-Fried at sentencing.

Prosecutors said former FTX engineering director Nishad Singh, who pleaded guilty and cooperated with authorities, provided “substantial assistance” to the United States government, hinting the judge should be lenient at sentencing.

In an Oct. 23 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, US Attorney Damian Williams asked Judge Lewis Kaplan to consider Singh’s cooperation, which helped in the prosecution of former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried and former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame. Singh is scheduled to appear before the judge on Oct. 30 for sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in 2023.

According to prosecutors, Singh’s testimony at SBF’s trial was a “core part” of the government’s case by helping the jury understand “how FTX’s code permitted the illegal use of customers’ funds” and “identif[ying] in detail the transactions by Bankman-Fried that involved the use of stolen money.”

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Former Celsius CEO to return to court on Nov. 13

Judge John Koeltl ordered Alex Mashinsky and prosecutors to appear in court on Nov. 13 to address the former Celsius CEO’s motion to dismiss fraud and market manipulation charges.

Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of crypto platform Celsius, will appear in a New York courtroom for the first time in months for oral arguments related to his motion to dismiss charges.

In an Oct. 23 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge John Koeltl ordered Mashinsky and prosecutors to appear in court on Nov. 13 to “preserve testimony” and address the former Celsius CEO’s motion to dismiss certain charges in the indictment. In January, Mashinsky’s lawyers filed motions to dismiss charges related to commodities fraud and market manipulation.

Source: SDNY

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Judge delays sentencing of IcomTech promoter to allow testimony

Gustavo Rodriguez, who was initially scheduled to be sentenced following his conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, will testify under oath on Oct. 25.

Gustavo Rodriguez, one of the promoters of the cryptocurrency mining and trading firm IcomTech convicted of wire fraud, will have a few more days to prepare for his testimony and cross-examination before sentencing in a New York courtroom.

In an Oct. 22 hearing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Rodriguez’s lawyers requested Judge Jennifer Rochon grant an evidentiary hearing, claiming the former IcomTech promoter wanted to testify at his March 2024 trial. Judge Rochon said the court would hear testimony from Rodriguez and a witness on Oct. 25.

Rodriguez was one of two IcomTech promoters — along with his colleague David Brend — charged in the indictment against the project’s founder, David Carmona. Authorities alleged IcomTech amounted to a crypto-based Ponzi scheme, siphoning more than $8 million from users between 2018 and 2019.

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Ryan Salame requests self-surrender date be pushed to Dec. 7

The former FTX executive claimed the need for “continuing medical treatment” after being bitten by a dog in June.

Former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, scheduled to report to a federal correctional institution for a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, asked a judge to delay his self-surrender date by roughly two months.

In an Oct. 9 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Salame’s lawyers requested he be allowed to serve his sentence starting on Dec. 7 rather than Oct. 11. Judge Lewis Kaplan granted a continuance in July after Salame reported being “mauled” by a German Shepherd on June 29.

The medical information related to Salame’s request to push back his self-surrender date was redacted but included a statement from a Virginia physician. According to the filing, the former FTX executive required “continuing medical treatment” before reporting to prison.

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

US gov’t cites Caroline Ellison’s ‘extraordinary cooperation’ before sentencing

Lawyers representing the former Alameda Research CEO have requested time served and supervised release — an outcome that appeared more likely after a filing by US Attorneys.

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, set to face a sentencing hearing on Sept. 24, may receive a lenient sentence after a recommendation from United States prosecutors. 

In a Sept. 17 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, US Attorneys wrote to Judge Lewis Kaplan to inform him of Ellison’s “extraordinary cooperation” in the prosecution of former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, as well as her assistance into the “wrongdoing at Alameda Research and FTX.” According to prosecutors, she provided “credible and compelling testimony” against Bankman-Fried at trial and was “forthcoming about her own grave misconduct” in FTX’s collapse. 

“Ellison played a core role in Bankman-Fried’s criminal schemes, but as the Government noted in Bankman-Fried’s sentencing submission, only he was involved in all aspects of the schemes,” said the filing. “Ellison never worked at FTX and played no role in designing the coding systems that granted Alameda special treatment on FTX and permitted Alameda to accrue a negative balance on FTX by withdrawing FTX customer funds.”

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

US prosecutors allegedly link ex-FTX exec to Chinese bribery scandal

Notes from a 2023 conference call between Assistant US Attorneys revealed allegations against Ryan Salame tied to Alameda Research’s bribery scheme in China. 

United States prosecutors in the case against Ryan Salame have allegedly linked the former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO to the names of Thai prostitutes as part of efforts to unfreeze accounts tied to FTX and Alameda Research.

In a Sept. 5 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, US Attorneys filed a memorandum opposing Salame’s motion to vacate his guilty plea as part of charges involving campaign finance violations. The former FTX co-CEO had already withdrawn his petition to vacate the plea on Aug. 29, but Judge Lewis Kaplan said both parties would appear on Sept. 12 to address the matter at a hearing. 

The prosecutors’ motion did not mince words, calling Salame’s petition “shameless and self-serving” and “procedurally defective and factually and legally meritless.” He initially filed the petition after authorities suggested they would pursue an investigation into his partner, Michelle Bond. 

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Judge orders ex-FTX exec to appear after request to vacate guilty plea

Despite withdrawing a petition to void his guilty plea, Ryan Salame must appear in a New York courtroom on Sept. 12 as scheduled.

A federal judge has ordered former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame to appear for a hearing despite withdrawing a request to vacate a guilty plea.

In an Aug. 29 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis Kaplan said Salame was required to appear in court on Sept. 12 as part of the conditions of his release on bail. He was initially scheduled to report to prison to serve a 90-month sentence starting on Aug. 29 but received a delay to Oct. 13 after reporting medical complications because of a dog bite.

On Aug. 21, the former FTX executive’s legal team filed a petition to have the court vacate his guilty plea, alleging authorities agreed not to pursue an investigation into his partner, Michelle Bond. However, after prosecutors unsealed an indictment for campaign finance law violations against Bond on Aug. 22, Salame withdrew his petition and said a ruling on the matter could be made in her case. 

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Ex-FTX exec scraps vacating guilty plea, refers matter to partner’s case

Former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame pleaded guilty to two felony charges in September 2023 and was sentenced to 90 months in prison in May 2024.

Ryan Salame, the former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, has withdrawn a petition to vacate his guilty plea for violations of campaign finance and money-transmitting laws.

In an Aug. 29 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Salame’s legal team told the court his longtime partner, Michelle Bond — also facing criminal charges — “may raise the matter” of his guilty plea in her case. Prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Bond on Aug. 22, alleging violations of campaign finance law related to her 2022 congressional campaign.

“To be clear, Mr. Salame stands by the facts set forth in the Petition and his accompanying declaration,” said the filing. “Mr. Salame is withdrawing the Petition, however, to allow the facts to be developed by Ms. Bond, and a ruling to be made, in her case [...] it makes sense to adjudicate the issues raised in the Petition in the docket in which the indictment is pending.”

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged, barred from leaving France

After his arrest on Aug. 25, French prosecutors said they had indicted Pavel Durov with criminal charges related to his role at Telegram.

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, has been charged in France and placed under judicial supervision after appearing in court.

According to an Aug. 28 Bloomberg report, French prosecutors said they had indicted Durov with criminal charges related to his role at Telegram and required him to post bail in the amount of 5 million euros before he could be released from custody. Police delivered Durov to court after he was detained at an airport north of Paris on Aug. 25.

After his arrest, prosecutors said the Telegram founder had been taken into custody as part of a judicial investigation “against person unnamed” on charges, including complicity with illegal activities, refusal to communicate to authorities, money laundering, criminal association and providing cryptology services without prior declaration. Durov also reportedly faces child abuse allegations in Switzerland that are unrelated to the French case.

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month

France’s Macron denies Pavel Durov arrest was political

The Telegram founder was arrested at Le Bourget airport north of Paris on Aug. 24. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a statement on social media calling the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov “in no way a political decision.”

In an Aug. 26 X post, President Macron said Durov’s arrest on Aug. 24 at an airport outside Paris was “part of an ongoing judicial investigation” involving the Telegram founder. The French president said his statement was in response to “false information” being spread on X regarding alleged violations against free speech.

Source: Emmanuel Macron

Read more

Analytics Firm Issues Cardano Warning, Sees ADA Flashing Bearish Signals After 200% Rise This Month