manhattan

According to Decrypt, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged New York state lawmakers to classify unlicensed cryptocurrency businesses as a criminal offense and called for enhanced law enforcement tools to combat crypto crime.Bragg warned that a criminal economy worth $51 billion is thriving in regulatory blind spots, allowing criminals to launder money from guns, drugs, and fraud without punishment. He specifically pointed out that unlicensed crypto ATMs, which charge fees of up to 20% to convert cash into digital assets, are one of the main issues. He argued that all crypto businesses must be subject to mandatory licensing and comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, with violators facing criminal liability. If the proposal is passed, New York will become the 19th state in the U.S. to criminalize unlicensed crypto operations.

ChainCatcher News, President Trump has appointed Danielle Sassoon as the acting head of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, overseeing matters in Manhattan and the surrounding areas.Sassoon previously led the prosecution of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, which resulted in Bankman-Fried being sentenced to 25 years in prison. Additionally, she was involved in the Department of Justice's case against Terra founder Do Kwon.Sassoon graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School, and she served as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She will lead the Southern District Attorney's Office until the confirmation process for Trump's nominee, Jay Clayton, is completed.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office plans to scale back its handling of cryptocurrency cases.Scott Hartman, co-head of the Securities and Commodities Task Force for the Southern District of New York, stated that the office will not overlook cryptocurrency cases, but the number of prosecutors handling these cases is fewer than during the 2022 crash in digital asset prices (the so-called "crypto winter").

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor stated, "The U.S. government should own most of the Bitcoin; Bitcoin is the Manhattan of cyberspace."

ChainCatcher news, according to TheBlock, Coinbase is relocating to a new office in Manhattan, New York, and in the process is abandoning its previous workplace at Hudson Yards.It is reported that Coinbase has signed an eleven-year lease for a space at 1 Madison in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, covering an area of 67,208 square feet. This office space is approximately twice the size of the original Hudson Yards space, but the company has neither changed its remote work policy nor indicated plans to expand its team in New York. Sources revealed that the number of Coinbase employees has remained relatively stable this year.

ChainCatcher news, CNBC reporter Mackenzie Sigalos posted on the X platform that the sentencing hearing for SBF will take place at 9:30 AM ET (9:30 PM Beijing time) on the 26th floor of the Manhattan Federal Court.Sigalos added that after speaking with prosecutors and trial lawyers, there is a consensus that SBF could be sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon will stand trial this Monday in Manhattan. Regulators accuse them of lying to investors before the collapse of the company's two cryptocurrencies LUNA/UST.It is reported that Do Kwon will not attend the hearing. He is currently housed in a foreigner "reception center" by Montenegrin authorities until the local court makes a new decision regarding his extradition.

ChainCatcher news, encrypted KOL Autism Capital tweeted that a user claimed to have seen Caroline Ellison, the former head of the investment division of Alameda Research, at Ground Support Coffee in the West Soho area of Manhattan on December 4th, "which means she is not in Hong Kong, but in New York, and is not detained." (source link)