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Binance founder should be jailed for 36 months, US prosecutors say

Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao is expected to be sentenced on April 30 after pleading guilty to money laundering in November 2023.

As the United States authorities are preparing to give a sentence to Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao on April 30, prosecutors have requested jail time for the former CEO. 

Binance founder Zhao should serve 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to violating laws against money laundering, U.S. prosecutors said in a court filing on April 23.

“Given the magnitude of Zhao’s willful violation of U.S. law and its consequences, an above-guideline sentence of 36 months is warranted,” the prosecutors wrote in the filing to the U.S. district court for the Western District of Washington.

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SEC seeks $5.3B judgment against Terraform Labs and Do Kwon

After a jury found Terraform Labs and Do Kwon liable for fraud in its case with the SEC, the commission filed a motion requesting $5.3 billion in disgorgement and civil penalties.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a motion requesting billions of dollars in disgorgement and civil penalties against Terraform Labs and its co-founder Do Kwon following a verdict in its civil case.

In an April 19 filing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the SEC requested Kwon and Terraform pay roughly $4.7 billion in disgorgement and prejudgment interest after the civil case ruling, as well as a combined $520 million in civil penalties — $420 million from Terraform and $100 million from Kwon. The commission, Terraform and Kwon filed their briefs for potential remedies in the civil case simultaneously, with the crypto firm suggesting a maximum civil penalty of $3.5 million and Kwon proposing only $800,000.

In addition to the monetary judgment, the SEC proposed barring Kwon from serving as an officer or director of a securities issuer and providing complete details of his accounts and assets. If approved, Terraform would also have a “conduct-based injunction” imposed on the firm to prevent “engaging in essentially the same behavior that led to the massive fraud.” The proposed remedies and civil judgment have yet to be ruled on by a judge. 

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Crypto users fooled by fake Elizabeth Warren letter proposing crypto tax

The fake letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden suggested a 1% wealth tax on crypto holdings exceeding $500,000.

Many social media users appeared to be fooled by an anti-crypto policy proposed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. The problem is the letter containing the proposal was fake.

On April 21, many on Crypto Twitter erupted in dismay at a seemingly real letter from Senator Warren to United States President Joe Biden. The letter — which misspelled the senator’s first name — proposed a 1% wealth tax on crypto holdings exceeding $500,000.

The letter called for President Biden to support crypto-related legislation from Senator Warren as part of efforts to address issues in the U.S. financial system. Even after many on social media pointed out discrepancies between the letter and reality, some crypto users seemed to refuse to acknowledge the truth.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Lummis-Gillibrand bill will ban algorithmic stablecoins: Law Decoded

Advocacy group Coin Center has expressed concerns about the Lummis-Gillibrand bill, claiming it would be “bad policy” and potentially unconstitutional.

United States Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis have introduced legislation establishing a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.

The legislation aims to prohibit “unbacked, algorithmic stablecoins”— likely a nod to TerraUSD (UST) depegging from the U.S. dollar in 2022 — and requires issuers to maintain one-to-one reserves.

It will also “create federal and state regulatory regimes for stablecoin issuers that preserves the dual banking system.”

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

USA to forge AI partnership with Nigeria for economic growth

The partnership aims to strengthen economic ties and ensure that AI deployment is safe, secure, transparent, and trustworthy.

The United States of America (U.S.A) and Nigeria are poised to engage in discussions on the digital economy, emerging technology, and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) to explore potential partnership opportunities.

During the closing ceremony of a four-day Workshop on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy in Abuja, Mr. Arthur Brown, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, revealed this information. Brown stated that within two weeks, senior officials from the U.S. government would convene in Abuja for a conference organized by the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission.

Providing further details on the upcoming meeting, the deputy chief of mission said the United States aims to capitalize on the momentum generated by a four-day workshop by organizing an AI conference in Lagos.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Bitcoin halving hype breaks week-long ETFs outflow streak

Five of the 10 approved ETFs recorded positive inflows that overshadowed the GBTC outflows, bringing in a total of $30.4 million to the spot BTC ETF market.

Bitcoin (BTC) investments in the United States exchange-traded funds (ETFs) market recorded a net positive inflow right before the Bitcoin halving day following five consecutive days of drain.

Anticipating an increase in market value post-halving, investment strategies worldwide recommended adding Bitcoin to existing portfolios. The Bitcoin ETF market followed through with the strategy while putting an end to an outflow streak dating back to April 12.

According to Farside data, the U.S. Bitcoin ETF ecosystem recorded outflows for five straight days between April 12 and 18, owing to a lack of contribution from most players. The outflows are majorly attributed to the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC), which has been shedding investments since January when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved spot Bitcoin ETFs.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

IRS releases draft of 2025 digital asset reporting form for US taxpayers

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has been grappling with crypto tax reporting for years, and they may have a ways to go still.

The United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the country’s tax service, has released a draft of its new Form 1099-DA “Digital Asset Proceeds from Broker Transactions” for reporting income from digital asset transactions. The form is expected to come into use in 2025 for reporting in 2026.

A broker will prepare Form 1099-DA for every customer who sells or exchanges digital assets. Brokers include kiosk operators, digital asset payment processors, hosted wallet providers, unhosted wallet providers and others, per the form. Copies of the 1099-DA will be sent to customers and the IRS, which will use them for verification purposes.

The form asks for token codes, wallet addresses, and blockchain transaction locations. Under the rule proposed in August 2023, cryptocurrencies, nonfungible tokens and stablecoins are reportable. The rule stated:

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Binance co-founder He Yi says CZ received ‘most optimal outcome’

The mother of CZ’s children sought to dispel concerns about the former CEO’s fate as he awaits sentencing in the United States.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, often known as CZ, is in a “positive situation,” according to the cryptocurrency exchange’s co-founder He Yi. CZ is set for sentencing in the United States on one felony charge on April 30.

Yi “dispelled concerns over the regulatory status” at the Binance Chinese Meetup held on the sideline of the Token2049 conference in Dubai, according to the company’s newsfeed. The post did not quote her directly, but added Yi said that:

When he is sentenced in the District Court of Western Washington, CZ could receive a prison term of up to 10 years. The sentence recommended in the guidelines is 12 to 18 months. The single charge resulted from a settlement reached in November that also required the company to forfeit $4.3 billion. That settlement forced CZ to resign as Binance CEO.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Elizabeth Warren supports enhanced U.S. sanction options for stablecoins

The senator wants new sanctions authority included in stablecoin legislation, but the Lummis-Gillibrand bill will disappoint her.

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen commenting on Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on April 9. She pursued the same line of thought as she did during the hearing — Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

Warren expressed her support in the letter for the legislative adoption of more comprehensive AML/CFT measures for stablecoins. Adeyemo appeared at the Senate hearing to discuss Treasury proposals for expanding its sanctions powers to blockchain validator node operators, among other measures. The Treasury listed its enhanced enforcement goals in response to gaps in current regulation in a document Warren calls a “letter to Congress” dated November 2023. Warren wrote:

Warren was apparently not referring to the stablecoin bill introduced into the Senate by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis on April 17, the day after the date of her letter. The 179-page Lummis-Gillibrand bill makes almost no mention of AML/CFT.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection

Pro-crypto Super PAC backs winners of Democratic primaries for House seats

Democratic candidates in Texas and Alabama both won their primary races after receiving a combined $3.7 million in financial support from the Protect Progress Super PAC.

A political action committee (PAC) used $3.7 million toward Democratic candidates in Alabama and Texas for the race to win seats in the United States House of Representatives starting in 2025. 

In an April 16 runoff between Democratic candidates to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, Shomari Figures defeated Anthony Daniels with roughly 61% of the vote. Figures is expected to face off against Republican Caroleene Dobson in the general election, scheduled for Nov. 5.

According to data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Protect Progress Super PAC used roughly $1.7 million from donations, including Coinbase and Ripple Labs, to support Figures’ bid for office between July 2023 and February 2024. A Protect Progress spokesperson told Cointelegraph that an additional $950,000 was reported after February, with the funds used to purchase advertisements supporting Figures and polling.

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Trader Warns of Potential XRP Correction, Says Dogecoin Trading at Most Likely Area To Expect Rejection