US Feds put together ‘FTX task force’ to trace stolen user funds

United States Attorney Damian Williams said the office is working “around the clock” to respond to the implosion of FTX.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) has formed the FTX Task Force to “trace and recover” missing customer funds, as well as handle investigations and prosecutions related to the exchange’s collapse.

The announcement came in a statement from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who is the federal prosecutor in the FTX case involving founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Charges from the Manhattan attorney’s office against Bankman-Fried include wire and securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, money laundering and violation of campaign finance laws.

“The Southern District of New York is working around the clock to respond to the implosion of FTX,” said Williams in the statement, adding:

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck-moment.”

“We are launching the SDNY FTX Task Force to ensure that this urgent work continues, powered by all of SDNY’s resources and expertise until justice is done.”

According to the SDNY, the task force’s team consists of senior prosecutors from its securities and commodities fraud, public corruption, money laundering and transnational crime enterprise units — which will be responsible for the “investigation and prosecution of matters related to the FTX collapse.”

Meanwhile, its “asset forfeiture and cyber capabilities” will be used to “trace and recover” the billions of dollars worth of missing customer funds, it added.

A similar effort had already been underway by FTX’s new management, which hired financial advisory company AlixPartners in December to conduct “asset-tracing” for FTX’s missing digital assets.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office reportedly first began its probe of FTX’s collapse shortly after the firm filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11.

According to its website, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York is known for prosecuting cases involving the violation of federal laws and investigates a broad array of criminal conduct “even when the conduct arises in distant places.”

FTX and key executives including Bankman-Fried, co-founder Gary Wang and Alameda Research former CEO Caroline Ellison had since September 2021 been operating out of the Bahamas, where many of the alleged crimes are believed to have been perpetrated.

On Jan. 3, Bankman-Fried pleaded “not guilty” to all eight criminal charges related to FTX’s implosion — which carries a total of 115 years of prison for the FTX founder if he is convicted.

Last month, Wang and Ellison pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges relating to their role in the collapse of the FTX exchange.

Ransomware task force calls for aggressive Bitcoin transaction tracing measures

Coin Telegraph

The task force has proposed new rules that would facilitate aggressive cryptocurrency tracing and tighter licensing requirements for businesses handling digital assets.

Government and industry have teamed up to fight a major increase in ransomware, with a newly formed ransomware task force calling for new measures to more aggressively trace Bitcoin and crypto capital flows.

The task force includes law enforcement including FBI and U.S. Secret Service agents working alongside representatives of leading security and tech firms.

According to an April 29 report from Reuters citing anonymous sources from the Department of Justice’s task force, the group is calling for new guidelines designed to cut through the anonymity of digital asset transfers that will soon be reviewed by Congress.

The proposed measures includes tightened KYC requirements for crypto asset exchanges, expanded licensing requirements for entities operating with cryptocurrencies, and extending anti-money laundering laws to better canvas the operations of crypto conversion kiosks and ATMs.

The group is also supporting the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s push to increase the reporting requirements for transactions valued at more than $10,000.

One Homeland Security official said the proposed guidelines would also be “huge” for law enforcement efforts to comb narcotics traffickers, human smugglers, and other actors engaging in illicit activities under the cover of crypto-pseudonymity.

“This is a world that was created exactly to be anonymous, but at some point, you have to give up something to make sure everyone’s safe,” he said.

The proposed rules seek to respond to a record year for ransomware attacks, with the task force estimating ransomware syndicates collected close to $350 million during 2020 — up 200% from the previous year. The lion’s share of profits were accumulated through targeting government agencies, hospitals, educational institutions, and private companies.

The task force also noted evidence suggesting many ransomware operators have friendly relations with North Korea, Russia, and other nation-states whose interests appear to oppose those of the United States.

In announcing the team last week, Acting Deputy Attorney General, John Carlin, wrote: “Although the Department has taken significant steps to address cyber crime, it is imperative that we bring the full authorities and resources of the Department to bear to confront the many dimensions and root causes of this threat.”

task force

US Feds put together ‘FTX task force’ to trace stolen user funds

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Ransomware task force calls for aggressive Bitcoin transaction tracing measures

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