• Jay Clayton’s leaving the SEC
    As Bitcoin ETF foil Jay Clayton departs the SEC, there are no tears in Cryptoville (Photo: YouTube/CNBC)
    Bitcoin,  Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation,  United States

    Jay Clayton’s leaving the SEC. Could this be crypto’s big break?

    There are hopes that his successor as SEC commissioner will increase the likelihood of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund finally being approved

    June 22, 2020 /

    SEC chairman Jay Clayton has been nominated as high-powered position as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Now, nerves are growing as to who will be tapped to take on his regulatory role, where he has been a persistent thorn in the side of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency boosters.

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  • ICE indicts Venezuelan Petro leader
    At $5 million, the bounty on the head of Venezuela's Petro project may be worth more than the cryptocurrency (Photo: ICE)
    Cryptocurrencies,  Politics

    U.S. puts $5M bounty on head of Venezuela’s Petro Superintendent

    Superintendent of Venezuela Government Cryptocurrency Joselit Ramirez Camacho was indicted for money laundering, violating U.S. sanctions, and working with designated drug kingpins

    June 1, 2020 /

    Joselit Ramirez Camacho, is “accused of having deep political, social and economic ties to multiple alleged narcotics kingpins, including the country’s former vice president, Tareck El Aissami,” according to a statement released on June 1 by the ICE Homeland Security Investigations division.

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  • To avoid prison, do not tweet your illegal North Korean visa (via Twitter).
    To avoid prison, do not tweet your illegal North Korean visa (via Twitter).
    Ethereum,  People

    Report: Virgil Griffith gets $1 million bail in North Korean sanctions-busting case

    The Ethereum developer was accused of teaching the pariah regime to use blockchain and cryptocurrency to launder money at a conference in April

    December 30, 2019 /

    A federal judge set bail for Virgil Griffith at $1 million, over the vigorous protests of the Department of Justice. He is accused of assisting the pariah regime in evading U.S. sanctions using blockchain and cryptocurrency.

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  • To avoid prison, do not tweet your illegal North Korean visa (via Twitter).
    To avoid prison, do not tweet your illegal North Korean visa (via Twitter).
    Ethereum,  Politics

    DoJ: Ethereum expert helped North Korean sanction busting

    The Department of Justice arrested the Ethereum Foundation’s Virgil Griffith for allegedly teaching North Korea to use cryptocurrency to avoid economic sanctions

    November 29, 2019 /

    Here’s a clue: if you’re going to teach North Korea how to use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions, don’t post your visa on Twitter. Particularly if the U.S. State Department has warned you not to go.

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