ChainCatcher news, Maryland Heights man Richard Charles Appelbaum III has been sentenced to three years in prison for laundering millions of dollars through cryptocurrency and ordered to pay restitution of $2.3 million.The 40-year-old Appelbaum conspired with others to transfer the proceeds of business email compromise (BEC) and romance fraud schemes into cryptocurrency through Coins2trade. Under the alleged recruitment of a cryptocurrency figure known as "E.S.," he received training to open fraudulent business and personal accounts, concealing the connection of these accounts to cryptocurrency. More than 36 victims were defrauded, and Appelbaum laundered $3.5 million, transferring the funds to different accounts to obscure their source. The investigation led by the FBI uncovered 34 wire transfers totaling $8.3 million related to the fraud.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, records show that former FTX executive Ryan Salame has begun serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence in a Maryland prison. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Salame served as the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, and as of Saturday morning, he is incarcerated at FCI Cumberland in Maryland. This prison is a "medium-security federal correctional institution, adjacent to a minimum-security satellite camp." According to the prison's website, it houses over 1,000 inmates.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the Maryland police have issued a warning about a phishing scam targeting Gmail users that is spreading. Scammers are extorting Bitcoin by sending Google Maps photos containing the victim's address and threatening to disclose false damaging information.The police explained that scammers typically use blackmail tactics, claiming to possess damaging information about the victim and threatening to make this information public if Bitcoin is not paid. Scammers usually offer two options: pay the ransom or face the risk of information disclosure.Similar scams have also occurred in places like California and Nevada.

ChainCatcher message, according to an email sent to affected users on November 2, Coinbase has halted staking services in Maryland, USA.Coinbase stated that affected users can no longer immediately hold additional funds, and any funds staked by users after June 5 will be canceled, including any accrued rewards, which will be deposited into the users' main balance. However, users will continue to earn rewards from any staked balance, and they can actively request to cancel rewards at any time.In July, Coinbase restricted staking in four states: California, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. However, the measures taken by the company at that time only prevented users in those states from staking additional assets.