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US Justice Dept charges Roger Ver with tax fraud

Early crypto investor ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ faces extradition to the U.S. after being charged with evading nearly $50 million in taxes.

Officials with the United States Department of Justice announced charges against early Bitcoin (BTC) investor Roger Ver, known by many as ‘Bitcoin Jesus.’ 

In an April 30 notice, the Justice Department said authorities in Spain had arrested Ver based on criminal charges in the United States, including mail fraud, tax evasion and filing false tax returns. The U.S. government alleged Ver defrauded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of roughly $48 million with his failure to report capital gains on his sale of Bitcoin and other assets.

According to the indictment, Ver allegedly took control of roughly 70,000 in June 2017 — before the now famous bull run — and sold many of them for $240 million. U.S. officials said they planned to extradite Ver from Spain to the United States to stand trial.

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Patrick McHenry accuses Gary Gensler of misleading US lawmakers over Ether

The chair of the U.S. House Financial Service Committee alluded to claims in Consensys’s recent lawsuit against the SEC, suggesting an investigation into Ether as a security.

United States House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry has alleged Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler “knowingly misled Congress” over the regulator’s alleged attempts to classify Ether (ETH) as a security.

In an April 30 X post, Representative McHenry claimed that Gensler intentionally misled lawmakers in testimony before the Committee. The U.S. lawmaker referred to claims made in a recent court filing by software development firm Consensys, which filed a lawsuit against the SEC on April 25.

Consensys’s initial complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas highlighted public inconsistencies in the SEC’s approach to digital assets as securities, specifically Ether. Unredacted sections of the filing appeared on the court docket on April 29, suggesting that the SEC launched an investigation into ETH as security in March 2023.

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BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF daily inflow on halt for 4 days

While some crypto observers are concerned about IBIT’s inflow halt, others say it’s more normal than the 71-day inflow streak it has recorded.

The Bitcoin (BTC) community is increasingly concerned about BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) halting inflows for several consecutive days for the first time since launch.

BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the fastest-growing spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States, has not recorded any inflows since April 24.

According to data from IBIT’s official page, the fund has held the same 274,462 BTC over the past four trading days.

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Trading Volumes on Korean Exchanges Surge With DOGE and XRP Dominating

Samourai Wallet co-founder pleads not guilty, released on $1M bond

The terms of Keonne Rodriguez’s bail prevent him from engaging in “any cryptocurrency transactions, directly or indirectly,” without prior approval from the court.

Keonne Rodriguez, one of two individuals associated with cryptocurrency mixer Samourai Wallet who the United States Justice Department charged with money laundering, has pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.

In an April 29 appearance in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and money laundering. Assistant U.S. Attorneys agreed to a $1 million bond for the Samourai Wallet co-founder, with travel restricted to parts of New York and Pennsylvania when not confined to his home.

Rodriguez will be largely confined to his residence in Harmony, Pennsylvania and required to wear a location monitoring device. In addition, the terms of his bail prevent him from performing services for Samourai Wallet or engaging in “any cryptocurrency transactions, directly or indirectly” without prior approval. 

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DOJ challenges motion to dismiss Tornado Cash co-founder’s charges

According to the filing, the DOJ criticized Tornado Cash’s co-founders for inadequate changes to exclude sanctioned addresses.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors opposed a Motion to Dismiss conspiracy and money laundering charges against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov. They argued that the defense’s filing raised disputed facts for jury consideration, which is unsuited for early-stage motions.

In the DOJ’s response, the prosecutors analyzed why the Tornado Cash co-founder should answer for the alleged crimes levied against him. The DOJ contested the defense’s characterization of Tornado Cash, noting it was introduced in 2019 as a mixer. The service comprises a website, a user interface, a set of smart contracts, and a network of “relayers.”

The DOJ accused Roman Storm and fellow developer Roman Semenov of conspiring to commit money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitter, and violating sanctions by creating Tornado Cash, a crypto-mixing service. U.S. authorities claim that entities like North Korea’s Lazarus Group used Tornado Cash to launder funds.

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Trading Volumes on Korean Exchanges Surge With DOGE and XRP Dominating

US senators target cryptocurrency use in child abuse trade

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy are asking federal agencies about their technical capacity to combat crypto payments in the sale of child abuse material.

A crackdown on individuals buying and selling child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using cryptocurrencies is underway in the United States.

U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy want to ensure that federal agencies are fully equipped to track down crypto transactions linked to the sale of child abuse content.

In this effort to bring an end to CSAM, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were asked to reveal their current technical capacity.

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Trading Volumes on Korean Exchanges Surge With DOGE and XRP Dominating

Anti-crypto SEC commissioner’s term is up in 41 days — Will she be replaced?

Caroline Crenshaw may continue to serve at the SEC for an additional 18 months after her term ends in June if the White House doesn't nominate a replacement.

Caroline Crenshaw, one of five commissioners of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), could be leaving the financial regulator after roughly four years.

As of April 25, President Joe Biden’s administration will have 41 days to decide whether to nominate someone to replace Crenshaw before her term ends on June 5. The commissioner was nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2020 to fill a seat left vacant by former SEC commissioner Rob Jackson but may continue to serve until the end of 2025 if no replacement is found.

During her time at the SEC, Crenshaw, a Democrat, was one of the seemingly anti-crypto voices. In January, she voted against approval of listing and trading for spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds, claiming the underlying markets were “marred by fraud and manipulation.”

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House committee ranking member says a stablecoin bill could be coming soon

House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters said a stablecoin bill “in the short run” was coming amid negotiations with Republican lawmakers and the Senate.

Representative Maxine Waters, ranking member of the United States House Financial Services Committee, has suggested that lawmakers are making progress on passing stablecoin legislation.

In an April 24 interview with Bloomberg, Representative Waters said she had been working “very well together” with committee chair Patrick McHenry in legislation on stablecoins and clawbacks for banks and talking to lawmakers in the U.S. Senate. According to the ranking members, only a “few more tweaks” were necessary for the stablecoin bill to move forward in the House.

“It’s been very complicated,” said Representative Waters. “We have so many entities that are involved [...] everybody has had something to say. We’ve had to recognize all of those concerns. In doing that, in the final analysis, it’s about making sure that investors and that the people are protected and that we don’t have a stablecoin bill where [...] companies don’t have the assets that they say that they have.”

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Turkey tops the world in stablecoin buying share vs. GDP

Stablecoin purchases in Turkey amount to 4.3% of GDP, the highest among global economies, according to Chainalysis.

The United States may lead the world in stablecoin transaction volumes, but its share of stablecoin purchases relative to its gross domestic product (GDP) has been eclipsed by Turkey.

According to “The 2024 Crypto Spring Report,” released on April 25 by the blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, Turkey has the highest share of stablecoin purchases relative to its GDP.

Based on Chainalysis’ data, stablecoin buying in Turkey accounted for 4.3% of its GDP between April 2023 and March 2024, making it the world’s biggest spender of stablecoins relative to its GDP.

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Trading Volumes on Korean Exchanges Surge With DOGE and XRP Dominating

Australia joins 1,000+ Bitcoin ATM club alongside US, Canada

The United States hosted its first 1,000 crypto ATMs in November 2017, while Canada achieved the same in January 2021.

Australia, the third-largest hub for Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto ATMs, recorded a new milestone with 1,000 active crypto-fiat machines now in operation. 

As of April 24, Australia hosts an active network of 1,002 Bitcoin ATMs, making it the third country after the United States and Canada to achieve this feat. The nation represents 2.7% of the global Bitcoin ATM network.

According to Coin ATM Radar data, the U.S. hosted its first 1,000 crypto ATMs in November 2017, while Canada reached the same in January 2021.

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Trading Volumes on Korean Exchanges Surge With DOGE and XRP Dominating