According to ChainCatcher news, a 26-year-old Alabama resident, Eric Council Jr., was sentenced to 14 months in prison for participating in the hacking of the official Twitter account of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and posting false news about the approval of a Bitcoin ETF. He gained control of the SEC account through a SIM swap attack, causing significant fluctuations in Bitcoin prices.According to court documents, Council obtained a SIM card associated with the SEC's phone number at an AT&T store in Alabama on January 9, 2024, using forged identification. He then purchased a new phone to receive the SEC X account password reset. His accomplices used that access to post false news about the approval of a Bitcoin ETF, resulting in a surge of over $1,000 in Bitcoin prices within a short period, followed by a drop of more than $2,000 after the SEC clarified the situation.In addition to imprisonment, the court also ordered the forfeiture of his illegal gains of $50,000 and imposed three years of supervised release, during which he is prohibited from using the dark web and committing identity fraud. Investigations revealed that Council was also involved in multiple SIM swap attacks, profiting approximately $50,000 from them.This case was jointly investigated by the FBI's Washington office and the SEC's Office of Inspector General, highlighting the regulatory agencies' efforts to combat the manipulation of financial markets through cybercrime. The head of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division emphasized the commitment to holding accountable those who threaten the integrity of the digital asset market.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Department of Justice has charged 12 individuals with stealing over $263 million in cryptocurrency. These suspects are linked to a previous investigation in which scammers stole over $243 million from a creditor of Genesis. According to crypto detective ZachXBT last year, a creditor of the now-defunct Genesis was deceived by a group of scammers who stole $243 million in digital assets and then redirected them through a crypto mixer.U.S. courts stated that several of the 12 suspects were arrested this week in California, while two others are currently still abroad, possibly residing in Dubai.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network, faces the possibility of spending the next 20 years in prison—if the sentencing recommendation submitted by the U.S. Department of Justice is adopted by the court. The sentencing is set for May 8.In the recommendation submitted late Monday, the Department of Justice urged the court to impose a 20-year prison sentence, stating that Mashinsky's crimes were "deliberate and meticulously planned" fraudulent acts that resulted in nearly $7 billion in customer losses, leaving thousands of people financially devastated.

ChainCatcher news, according to The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Justice stated at the antitrust hearing in Washington that to break Google's monopoly in the online search field, it should be forced to divest core assets such as the Chrome browser.Prosecutors claim that Chrome is a key gateway for users to access search engines, and the divestiture will help competitors gain market data and improve services. The case is expected to last three weeks, with the final "remedies" to be determined this summer.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by law360.com citing documents submitted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last Friday, the DOJ during the Trump administration had pushed to reduce enforcement against cryptocurrencies, but this did not prevent federal prosecutors from pursuing charges against SafeMoon's former CEO Braden Karony.Karony faces fraud charges related to the collapse of the token. He is set to go on trial in May, which will be a key test of whether the DOJ's new policy will protect executives from past allegations of misconduct.On April 18, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York confirmed they would continue to pursue the case. Karony is charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, and he has pleaded not guilty, having been released on a $3 million bail since February.Previous report, SafeMoon CEO requests to delay his trial due to "policy changes" by the SEC during Trump's term.

ChainCatcher news, according to unchained, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in a memorandum that it will re-examine a practice: how to compensate investors at a price lower than the current market value after digital assets are seized in cases involving fraud and theft.The memorandum mentioned that the DOJ focused on some high-profile bankruptcy cases in 2022, including FTX, Voyager Digital, Celsius Network, Genesis Global, BlockFi, and Gemini Trust. Although not all of these bankruptcy cases involved criminal charges, the DOJ pointed out that many of them resulted in investor losses of digital assets due to "fraud and theft." Additionally, the DOJ noted that the value of these digital assets has significantly increased in the following years.However, the court's approach is not intended to cause suffering to creditors. The issue is that current U.S. bankruptcy regulations stipulate that seized assets should be returned to victims at the dollar value at the time the fraud occurred. While this may seem unfair, experts indicate that there are important reasons behind this rule, and changing it could be very difficult.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, medical technology company Semler Scientific disclosed in a filing on Tuesday that it has reached a preliminary settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding marketing violations related to its product QuantaFlo, agreeing to pay a fine of $29.75 million.The company has signed a loan agreement with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, planning to use its held Bitcoin as collateral to obtain a loan for the settlement payment.Previous news, Semler Scientific launched a $500 million mixed securities offering plan, with the raised funds potentially used to purchase Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher news, according to News.bitcoin, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 9 that a Nigerian man has been charged in Massachusetts with orchestrating a complex romance scam that defrauded victims of over $2.5 million, funneling the funds into cryptocurrency accounts he secretly managed.According to prosecutors, the man created false online identities from 2016 to 2019, establishing fake romantic relationships with victims across the United States. He currently faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Department of Justice has released an official statement regarding cryptocurrency laws, stating that developers will not be held liable, while criminals using the code will be held accountable. This clarifies that developers are not responsible for the misuse of their code by criminals, and law enforcement will focus on actual criminal activities such as fraud and terrorism financing.The memorandum emphasizes the protection of the rights of legitimate blockchain users and businesses, supports fair access to banking services, and reduces enforcement actions against cryptocurrency trading platforms and mixing services. This move may signal the Trump administration's further easing of restrictions on the cryptocurrency industry, injecting new vitality into its development.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the memorandum shows that the U.S. Department of Justice has disbanded its national cryptocurrency enforcement team.

ChainCatcher news, according to market news, the U.S. Department of Justice memorandum states that it will essentially cease regulation of cryptocurrency exchanges and offline wallets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune magazine, the U.S. Department of Justice notified employees on Monday evening that it is disbanding a department specifically responsible for cryptocurrency-related investigations. In a four-page memo reviewed by Fortune, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the decision, stating, "The Department of Justice is not a digital asset regulatory agency. However, the previous administration used the Department to implement a reckless regulatory strategy through prosecutions."Blanche is the second-in-command at the Department of Justice and was a defense attorney during Trump's 2024 criminal trial. He wrote that as part of the Department's efforts to comply with Trump's January executive order on digital assets, the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) is being "immediately" disbanded, with the order aimed at "establishing regulatory clarity for the industry." As part of the memo on Monday, Blanche instructed DOJ employees to focus on "prosecuting those who harm digital asset investors," rather than pursuing cases against cryptocurrency exchanges, mixers like "Tornado Cash," and "offline wallets."

ChainCatcher news, the U.S. Department of Justice seeks the death penalty for suspect Luigi Nicholas Mangione, accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealth (UNH.N).After the news was released, the meme coin named after Luigi Nicholas Mangione, Luigi, briefly surged over 350% before retreating, currently priced at $0.0052678, with a market cap rising to $5.3 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, OKX's Chief Legal Officer Mauricio Beugelmans has left the company in March 2025. His LinkedIn profile shows that he joined OKX in August 2021, serving for 3 years and 8 months, making significant contributions to OKX's global compliance policies.Sources revealed that Beugelmans' departure is related to OKX's $500 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) last month.

ChainCatcher News: The U.S. Department of Justice announced the disruption of an ongoing terrorism financing scheme, seizing approximately $201,400 (at current value) in cryptocurrency, which was stored in wallets and accounts intended to fund Hamas. The seized funds originated from fundraising addresses allegedly controlled by Hamas, which have been used since October 2024 to launder over $1.5 million in virtual currency.

ChainCatcher news, according to News.bitcoin, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on March 21 that $7 million in proceeds from a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme has been recovered, and victims are now being invited to submit petitions to have the funds returned.Authorities stated: "These fraudulent websites mimic legitimate cryptocurrency investment platforms, but they funneled victims' funds to the perpetrators through more than 75 bank accounts opened in the names of shell companies." Victims were misled into believing that the value of their investments was increasing, but in reality, the profits were fabricated.After laundering the funds through a series of complex domestic and international transactions, the criminals ultimately transferred the money overseas. In June 2023, the U.S. Secret Service seized funds from a foreign bank account, prompting the DOJ to file a civil forfeiture lawsuit.After a claim was made by the foreign bank, both parties reached a settlement, resulting in the $7 million being forfeited to the United States.

ChainCatcher news, Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey posted on social media, "If the U.S. Department of Justice has been hastily liquidating the Bitcoin held by the U.S. government (against the President's wishes) within three months of obtaining court approval, then the recent price movements of Bitcoin can be explained." This suggests that government sell-offs may be a significant reason for the recent pressure on Bitcoin prices.

ChainCatcher news, according to Sina Finance, the U.S. Department of Justice still demands that Google sell its web browser Chrome, but no longer requires it to divest its investments in the field of artificial intelligence. This demand was first made during Joe Biden's presidency last year; however, during Trump's second term, the Department of Justice seems to still adhere to this plan.Previously, the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys general of 38 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, and Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that Google maintained its monopoly in the online search field through illegal means. Google has stated that it will appeal this ruling and has also proposed an alternative proposal, claiming that the proposal would give partners more flexibility to address the issues raised by Judge Mehta.

ChainCatcher news reports that according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the United States, along with Germany and Finland, has successfully dismantled and seized the online infrastructure of the cryptocurrency exchange Garantex. Since April 2019, the exchange has processed at least $96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and has been accused of providing money laundering services to transnational criminal organizations, including terrorist groups, and violating sanctions.At the same time, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has filed a lawsuit against two administrators of Garantex: 46-year-old Lithuanian national Aleksej Besciokov and 40-year-old Russian national residing in the UAE, Aleksandr Mira Serda. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, and Besciokov is additionally charged with conspiracy to violate sanctions and operating an unlicensed money transmission business.Court documents show that from 2019 to 2025, the two defendants controlled and operated Garantex, knowingly allowing the platform to be used for money laundering while taking steps to conceal the illegal activities. Despite the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioning Garantex on April 5, 2022, the defendants continued to transact with U.S. entities and redesigned their operations to evade sanctions, including changing cryptocurrency wallet addresses daily to avoid detection and blocking by U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges.U.S. law enforcement has seized three domain names: Garantex.org, Garantex.io, and Garantex.academy, frozen over $26 million in funds used for money laundering, and obtained server copies that include customer and accounting databases. If convicted, the two defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison.