Self-described “Bitcoin King,” Claudio Oliveira, has been arrested and charged by Brazilian federal police for allegedly masterminding a 1.5 billion reais (roughly $300 million) fraud scheme involving crypto. Oliveria served as the president of Bitcoin Banco Group, a Brazilian crypto brokerage firm that has been under investigation since 2019 claiming to have lost 7,000 BTC in investor funds.…

A former employee of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange Cryptopia has pleaded guilty to the theft of roughly $172,000 in cryptocurrency he obtained by making a copy of users’ private keys. According to a Monday report from New Zealand news outlet Stuff, the unnamed Cryptopia employee pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court to the theft of more than $1,000 and theft “by a person in a special relationship” — referring to cases when a person takes funds held in trust from someone else.…

The United States’ Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will continue to closely follow the cryptocurrency industry as one of its top priorities for combating crimes like money laundering. FinCEN officially announced Thursday that “virtual currency considerations,” or operations involving cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), will be among its top national priorities for countering terrorism financing and ensuring proper Anti-Money Laundering policies.…

Bill Foster, Democratic Representative and co-chair of the Congressional blockchain caucus, has called for a regulatory framework that would enable third parties to reverse fraudulent or criminal transactions. Foster is a physicist and a Democratic Rep for Illinois. The blockchain caucus is co-chaired by Democratic Rep Darren Soto, and Republican Reps Tom Emmer and David Schweikert.…

Numerous governments are attempting to ban cryptocurrencies, with recent examples from China, India, Turkey and Nigeria. The reason for doing so is simple: The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies poses a threat to the legacy financial system, and as the technology itself is still in its infancy, it seems to attract hackers.…

According to a Wednesday report from Spanish international news agency EFE, John McAfee has been found dead in his prison cell at the Brians 2 Penitentiary Center. Born in 1945, McAfee founded the software company McAfee Associates in his early forties.…

John McAfee, founder of the antivirus software company of the same name, is one step closer to facing prosecution in the United States for tax evasion. In a ruling released on Wednesday, the Spanish National Court approved the extradition of McAfee to the United States.…

Brian Nelson, U.S. President Joe Biden’s nominee for under secretary for the Department of the Treasury’s division on terrorism and financial crimes, said he would prioritize implementing new regulations around cryptocurrency. In a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Nelson said he would be focusing on anti-money laundering regulations if he were to be confirmed for the position in the Treasury Department’s terrorism and financial intelligence arm, adding cryptocurrency would be particular priority.…

United States President Joe Biden will speak directly about cryptocurrency and its role in the attack on the Colonial Pipeline and other ransomware breaches, according to Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. In a White House press briefing on Monday, Sullivan said U.S.…

Officials with a United States government task force have seized more than $2 million in crypto used to pay for ransom following an attack on the Colonial Pipeline system.  In a Monday press conference, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the task force “found and recaptured” millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin (BTC) connected to Russia-based DarkSide hackers, the majority of the $4.4 million funds originally paid.…