The situation adds pressure to Binance, which is already operating under a compliance monitor following its $4.3 billion anti-money laundering and sanctions settlement in 2023.
Emails show Brock Pierce introduced Jeffrey Epstein to the Coinbase round, while Blockchain Capital later said its fund investment was never completed as Epstein invested independently.
Prosecutors said the platform facilitated over $105 million in crypto-based narcotics sales between October 2020 and March 2024.
The letter alleges that Blanche held substantial amounts of crypto when he shut down the DOJ's National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.
The recent Bitcoin rally may be driven by real spot demand on Coinbase. Data indicating elevated spot activity on Coinbase suggests that this move higher is bolstered by direct purchases rather than leveraged positioning in derivatives markets. This distinction matters because Spot buying reflects a real capital commitment, not a temporary bet. Why Risk Management When Demand Is Structural The Bitcoin rally since Sunday’s Powell subpoena news has been largely linked to Coinbase spot buyers. Crypto trader Alex Krüger has highlighted on X that both the Adjusted Coinbase Premium and Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) show steady spot accumulation, which is exactly why this has been a true hated rally even among bitcoiners. For over a month, the dominant narrative in every crypto chat room has been that BTC is lagging while equities and commodities are moving upward. Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bulllish And Bearish Scenarios For Bitcoin – Here’s What To Know However, the fun fact is that equities are not accurate, but 40% of the S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s 500) stocks have actually closed red in 2025, (39.2% to be precise). Perception is doing a lot of work here, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) move on Powell represented a major macro litmus test for BTC. Kruger claims that the BTC long-term value proposition is about protecting against the tail risk of central bank profligacy. On Monday, BTC surged upward, although the move was just a little surge. According to Krüger, the BTC key battlefield remains the 50-week moving average (WMA), which is currently around $101,420. Meanwhile, the trader is looking to take some profits into short liquidations right above the $100,000 mark. Why Bitcoin Benefits First From Institutional Flows The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is set for markup today, January 15th, 2026, in the Senate Banking Committee. According to the update by BTC_road_to200k on X (Formally Twitter), this is where the lawmakers will debate and shape the final version of the bill before it moves forward. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Stays Pinned Above Support, Setting Up a Bigger Move This matters because the art aims to clear up the ongoing regulatory uncertainty between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which has been a major source of hesitation for large institutional players looking to move into Bitcoin and other digital assets. Furthermore, the Clarity Act will be a turning point as it aims to clear rules that will bring more confidence to banks, pension funds, and large investors, which often translates into higher demand and stronger price momentum for BTC. As the regulatory clouds lift, the market might start experiencing a renewed wave of institutional money flowing in, and that’s obviously bullish for BTC. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
In this week’s Crypto Long & Short Newsletter, Jared Lenow’s insights on the DOJ’s increased focus on crypto seizures and what it means for the broader industry – the good, the bad and the ugly. Then, we dive into a year end vibe check with two observations, two predictions and reader favorite quotes from 2025 by Andy Baehr.
The crypto industry praised a memo signed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directing the Department of Justice to end “regulation by prosecution.”
Storm’s lawyers say their client had nothing to do with the criminals using Tornado Cash. Prosecutors say he was capable of stopping them, and chose not to.
Opening arguments are set to begin shortly.
The FBI raided Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan's home last year.
Michael Shannon Sims, a founder and promoter of OmegaPro, and Juan Carlos Reynoso, who led OmegaPro’s operations in Latin America and some parts of the U.S.
The Tornado Cash developer is slated to go on trial later this summer.
The developers claim Samourai Wallet never handled user funds and should not be considered a financial institution.
Most of the individuals were arrested this week in California.
U.S. prosecutors levied charges against suspected Sinaloa Cartel bosses as onchain analytics startups traced stablecoin transfers in the fentanyl ecomomy.
At most, the late disclosure impacts one of the two charges against Samourai Wallet’s co-founders, prosecutors said in their Friday letter to the judge.
Before SDNY prosecutors filed charges in the case, FinCEN told them that Samourai Wallet didn’t meet the definition of a money transmitting business.
In December, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) exceeded its statutory authority in sanctioning Tornado Cash.
The co-founders are each facing up to 25 years in prison for alleged money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting.
Two Long Island men in a father-and-son crypto scheme have been sentenced to 24 years in combined sentences.
According to the SEC, Ramil Palafox misappropriated more than $57 million in customer funds, using it to buy Lamborghinis and luxury products.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a review of how victims of digital asset fraud are compensated, following concerns over outdated valuation methods. According to a recent internal DOJ memo, many investors affected by crypto platform collapses, such as FTX, Celsius, Voyager, Genesis, BlockFi, and Gemini Trust, have only received reimbursement based on […]
The post US DOJ reviews crypto compensation rules amid valuation concerns appeared first on CryptoSlate.
In February, the Seychelles-based exchange paid the DOJ $500 million to settle charges it had operated in the U.S. without a money transmitter license.
A group of US Democratic lawmakers, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, has strongly criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) for shutting down its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET). In an April 10 letter, the group expressed concern that the move undermines efforts to combat growing criminal activity tied to digital assets. The NCET, disbanded on […]
The post US lawmakers and Elizabeth Warren criticize DOJ for disbanding crypto enforcement team appeared first on CryptoSlate.
In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday, the six lawmakers urged him to reconsider his recent decision to disband the DOJ’s crypto enforcement squad.
“The Department of Justice is not a digital assets regulator,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the Monday night memo.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly shut down the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), its specialized division tasked with investigating crypto-related crimes. The move, confirmed through an internal memo cited by Fortune in an April 8 report, reflects a significant shift in federal oversight of the emerging industry. NCET’s closure NCET was launched […]
The post US DOJ disbands crypto enforcement team amid policy shift under Trump appeared first on CryptoSlate.
The DOJ closed a crypto hit squad established by Biden's government as agencies align with President's Trump pro-blockchain administration.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged television director Carl Erik Rinsch with defrauding a major streaming company of $11 million. In a March 18 statement, Acting US Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Carl Erik Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by soliciting a large investment from a video streaming service, claiming that money would […]
The post TV director faces charges for $11M fraud in crypto, luxury car spree appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Besciokov is charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to violate sanctions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.