arrested

According to the Nice Matin, the police in the Var department of France successfully cracked a cryptocurrency fraud case involving 1.5 million euros after a year-long investigation, arresting a mother and son involved in the case.The two implemented a "Rip Deal" scam, falsely claiming to facilitate the purchase of luxury homes, luring a wealthy couple from Ramatuelle to Milan, and demanding that they pay a 1.5 million euro transaction guarantee fee in cryptocurrency. During the operation, the suspects used hidden cameras to secretly capture the victims' cryptocurrency account information and private keys, subsequently transferring all the cryptocurrency assets.The police arrested the mother and son in Cavalaire and simultaneously seized properties worth 1.9 million euros under the suspects' names. Both suspects have multiple prior convictions for fraud and will face trial on September 1, facing several criminal charges related to organized gang fraud.

The Hong Kong Police Force's Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, in conjunction with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks, jointly held an "Anti-Money Laundering Exhibition." Hong Kong Police Commissioner Raymond Siu disclosed data stating that in the first quarter of this year, Hong Kong recorded over 9,400 fraud cases, a decrease of about 60 cases compared to the same period last year, but the amount of losses exceeded HKD 1.85 billion, an increase of nearly HKD 300 million compared to the same period last year. In the first quarter of this year, about 2,000 people were arrested for fraud and money laundering-related cases, with approximately 70% being "puppet account" holders.The Hong Kong police remind that under the law, a conviction for money laundering can result in a maximum fine of HKD 5 million and imprisonment for 14 years, and the court may apply for an increased sentence depending on the circumstances.

According to a report by Kyodo News, the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested three men on suspicion of violating the Organized Crime Punishment Law for laundering criminal proceeds on behalf of an investment fraud gang. It is said that these three individuals exchanged approximately 14 million yen from 10 victims across six prefectures into stablecoins and other cryptocurrency assets to conceal the source of the funds.According to the Osaka Prefectural Police, these three individuals belong to "over-the-counter traders" who conduct personal cryptocurrency transactions without using trading platforms and are believed to have participated in money laundering activities amounting to billions of yen.

According to Laprovence, French police arrested four suspects in Marseille and surrounding areas in connection with an attempted kidnapping and robbery involving cryptocurrency assets. The incident occurred around 3 AM on June 13, 2026, when the suspects broke into a residence in the 13th district of Marseille, attempting to obtain cryptocurrency-related assets by holding two women hostage. A family was awakened by the noise and immediately called the police, prompting the suspects to flee the scene, leaving only vehicle license plate clues behind.It is reported that such cryptocurrency kidnapping crimes are on the rise in France, with approximately 70 cases involving the kidnapping or extortion of cryptocurrency assets recorded since 2026. Police state that these cases typically target cryptocurrency asset holders and their family members, exhibiting highly targeted and violent characteristics.

According to The Block, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Seoul Police Agency in South Korea has arrested 23 suspects accused of laundering money for a Cambodian criminal organization, with the amount involved approximately 16.8 billion won (about 11.1 million USD). The gang transferred about 11.1 million USD in illegal funds by purchasing USDT and trading on domestic and international cryptocurrency exchanges from February 2024 to April 2025, using approximately 11,300 accounts for money laundering, involving about 265 cases of phishing and investment fraud, with the amount of illicit funds involved around 17 million USD. The Seoul police have seized approximately 650 million won (about 430,000 USD) in criminal proceeds from the suspects, but the gang leader is still at large and has been issued a red notice by Interpol.The police also arrested 33 individuals on the same charges for illegally providing currency exchange services to tourists and acquaintances through USDT.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that Ruslan Igorevich Tkachuk and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev were arrested for allegedly operating a cryptocurrency money laundering service called Audi A6.Since its launch in 2021, the service has received approximately 10,333 bitcoins, valued at over $389 million at the time of the transactions, of which at least $19.234 million worth of bitcoins came directly from illegal sources such as dark web markets and ransomware organizations.A joint international law enforcement operation has seized and frozen the servers, domain names, and Telegram accounts associated with Audi A6.

According to The New York Times, Canadian man Trenton Johnston pleaded guilty in a federal court in Florida, admitting to participating in a money laundering conspiracy involving approximately $13 million, with funds sourced from cryptocurrency fraud. Prosecutor documents show that Johnston, over a two-year period, impersonated representatives of Google and cryptocurrency companies to lure victims into giving up their account access, and conspired with accomplices to transfer and hide illegal proceeds for luxury spending, including luxury cars, jewelry, nightclub expenses, and private jet travel.In March 2024, he was pulled over by police for speeding in a Rolls Royce in Miami, where there was a suspected smell of marijuana and illegal drugs in the vehicle, leading to a subsequent investigation that uncovered his long-term involvement in cryptocurrency fraud. The case also revealed that he had scammed a California resident out of approximately 185 bitcoins (worth about $13 million) using social engineering tactics. Data from the FBI indicates that losses related to cryptocurrency theft exceeded $11 billion in 2025, an increase of about 20% year-on-year. Currently, Johnston, as a first-time offender, has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and is expected to face a prison sentence of 4 to 5 years, after which he will be deported to Canada.

According to CriptoNoticias, the Southern Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office in Chile, along with the police, dismantled a money laundering network involving approximately 90 million USD, with about 20 people arrested.The network is suspected of converting illegal funds into cryptocurrency through exchanges and transferring them abroad, with one Banco Santander account manager arrested. Prosecutor Héctor Barros stated that this is one of the largest money laundering cases in Chile in recent years, and the related illegal activities were not conducted through the bank's corporate infrastructure, with the bank cooperating in the investigation.

According to CriptoNoticias, Spanish citizen David Merino was arrested in Dubai for allegedly leading the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme FX Winning. This scheme is the largest cryptocurrency-related Ponzi scheme in the history of Spanish investigations, involving over 460 million euros and affecting approximately 15,000 investors. Merino operated the scheme from behind the scenes after officially leaving the company in 2021, attracting funds by promising high returns on forex and cryptocurrency investments. Its operating model involved using funds from new investors to pay early investors, and the scheme operated in about 30 countries.Spain typically has 15 to 40 days to submit extradition documents to the UAE. Additionally, FX Winning is also under investigation in the United States and Mexico, with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration believing the scheme involves 100 billion dollars. Merino released a video in March 2026 denying that he retained others' funds and placing the blame on other members of his team. The Spanish National Securities Market Commission has warned since 2021 that FX Winning is unauthorized to provide investment services.

A man in Florida, USA, was arrested for allegedly stealing approximately $1.9 million worth of Bitcoin by using the mnemonic phrase of his former employer's hardware wallet. Police stated that the unauthorized transfer of the stolen funds occurred in 2020, when the suspect still had access to critical security information.

The prosecution materials released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York show that Google security engineer Michele Spagnuolo has been arrested and charged for allegedly using significant non-public information to bet on Google user search result-related markets on Polymarket.The prosecution materials state that Spagnuolo used Google internal tools to track the list of the most searched people in 2025 and transferred approximately 3.8 million USDC to a Polymarket address; his associated account AlphaRaccoon placed a bet that D4vd would become one of the most searched people in late November after accessing internal tools for several hours.The prosecution materials also state that AlphaRaccoon transferred 5 million USDC from the Polymarket account to a wallet and moved the funds through exchange services and privacy tools, with some of the funds ultimately entering an account at a payment processing institution in Italy. Spagnuolo is accused of profiting over 1.2 million dollars from the related transactions and currently faces charges of commodity fraud, telecommunications fraud, and money laundering.

According to Hong Kong's East Network, a 34-year-old man from the mainland traveled to Hong Kong with a two-way permit. During his time there, he reportedly lost about 500,000 yuan on a cryptocurrency platform and, feeling frustrated, expressed suicidal tendencies on social media and planned to go to Hong Kong.Law enforcement agencies launched an investigation after receiving relevant information and intercepted the man at around 12:30 PM on May 14 at a fast-food restaurant on Admiralty Road. A lighter and suspected gasoline were found on him. The police arrested him on suspicion of "possessing any item with the intent to destroy or damage property" and he is currently being detained for investigation.Reports indicate that no one was injured in the incident, and there was no need for evacuation at the scene. The man is said to have complained multiple times to the relevant platform about his investment losses but did not receive a satisfactory response.

According to public records from the New York Criminal Court, Believe founder Benjamin Pasternak was arrested on charges of second-degree extortion and assault, and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11.He was previously accused of being involved in a token withdrawal scheme that involved millions of dollars. The platform's native token BELIEVE is currently trading at approximately $0.00075, down over 99% from its historical high of $0.3569 set in 2025.

According to DL News, a 40-year-old cryptocurrency industry worker in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, near Montpellier, France, was the victim of an attempted armed robbery at home.The suspect disguised as a delivery person entered the house and demanded the victim hand over the private key to their cryptocurrency wallet; the victim took advantage of the suspect's distraction to tackle them and seize the handgun. Gunshots were fired at the scene, but no one was injured. The suspect then fled, and after three days of pursuit, the police arrested them. The local court has charged the suspect with attempted armed robbery, and the prosecution stated that they may have been instructed by a mastermind behind the scenes.

According to DL News, several "revenge intermediary" organizations in South Korea that use cryptocurrency as a payment method have been active recently. These organizations take orders via Telegram, providing services such as intimidation, assaults, and even murders disguised as accidents, requiring clients to pay a 50% deposit in USDT, and promising to send action videos recorded by body cameras via Telegram.Although the main suspect was arrested on April 3, related online advertisements continued to be published on April 13. The South Korean police have launched investigations into over 50 related cases this year, arresting about 30 people, and determining that all cases involve cryptocurrency payments.

A 27-year-old German hacker, Noah Christopher, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, facing up to 74 arrest warrants for cyber crimes in Europe.Investigations show that this individual is suspected of developing and operating a ransomware platform and a "cybercrime-as-a-service" (CaaS) system between 2021 and 2025, including providing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack tools (such as Fluxstress and Neldowner), assisting global clients in launching cyber attacks and charging fees, with related ransom payments involving cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, constituting transnational cybercrime activities. His visa has been revoked, and he is currently detained awaiting extradition to Germany.

According to The Street, Goliath Ventures, a cryptocurrency company based in Florida, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in the Southern District of Florida.The company is alleged to be linked to a $328 million Ponzi scheme, with over 2,000 victim investors, including Gregory Wilson, who lost approximately $8.74 million, and John Euliano, who lost about $1.28 million. Additionally, plaintiffs have filed a class-action lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase early next month, accusing it of turning a blind eye to suspicious transactions involving Goliath Ventures.Previously, Goliath Ventures' former CEO Christopher Alexander Delgado was arrested for allegedly being involved in the $328 million Ponzi scheme and faces charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Delgado lured victims under the guise of investing in cryptocurrency liquidity pools and promising monthly returns, but the funds were used to pay returns to earlier investors, purchase luxury homes, and finance extravagant activities.

The Hong Kong police announced the progress of the investigation into the JPEX virtual asset trading platform fraud case, revealing that since the investigation began, a total of 80 people have been arrested, and assets totaling approximately HKD 228 million have been frozen. Another round of prosecution actions has been taken, charging 10 individuals with "money laundering" and "conspiracy to commit money laundering."Chief Inspector Han Chenghao of the Hong Kong Police Commercial Crime Bureau stated that the JPEX case is the largest in terms of the number of victims and the amount of money defrauded in recent years in Hong Kong, with over 2,700 victims reporting losses exceeding HKD 1.6 billion. Since the incident, no company or individual has admitted to being the actual operator, and the police need to conduct extensive investigations to clarify who the masterminds, core members, or accomplices behind JPEX are.

According to DL News, David Balland, co-founder of the French company Ledger, was kidnapped by a criminal gang in January 2025. The assailants cut off his fingers and demanded a ransom of $11.5 million in Bitcoin. After the incident, the police acted quickly, rescuing Balland and his partner, and arrested 10 suspects at the scene, but one suspect escaped to Spain amid the chaos. After weeks of joint pursuit by the police of both countries, the suspect was eventually captured in Benalmádena, Spain.Currently, the Fuengirola court is advancing the extradition process based on the European Arrest Warrant agreement, and French authorities have confirmed that they have identified and arrested all individuals involved.

According to Cripto Noticias, a kidnapping incident aimed at stealing BTC and cryptocurrency private keys occurred recently in Madrid, Spain. A 33-year-old Canadian cryptocurrency entrepreneur was forcibly pushed into a rented van with altered license plates by several men. Witnesses immediately called the police, and the Spanish National Police intercepted the vehicle near Atocha Station, successfully rescuing the victim. Two Serbian suspects, aged 32 and 45, were arrested on the spot, while another suspect remains at large.According to police investigations, this kidnapping was a premeditated act. The victim had previously traveled from Barcelona to Madrid for financial business discussions and was suspected to have been tracked by the suspects beforehand. The suspects intended to use personal coercion to force the victim to hand over the mnemonic phrase and private keys of the cryptocurrency wallet, a method known in the security field as a "wrench attack." Police seized plastic zip ties and pills as tools used in the crime from the vehicle. Additionally, the suspects attempted to steal a luxury watch worth 100,000 euros from the victim. The victim was not seriously injured, and the case is still under investigation.This case is one of a series of personal attacks against cryptocurrency holders in Europe in 2026, with France recording 11 related cases this year.