ChainCatcher News: Special Counsel Jack Smith of the U.S. Department of Justice submitted materials to the U.S. Federal Court on the 25th, abandoning the litigation process for two criminal cases against former President Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House, regarding allegations of overturning the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election and mishandling government confidential documents.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has rejected the request from elected President Trump to dismiss his criminal conviction in the "hush money" case following his victory in the presidential election. Alvin Bragg suggested freezing the case during Trump's presidency.In a letter to the judge handling the "hush money" case, Alvin Bragg emphasized that the jury had previously found Trump guilty on 34 felony charges in this case. However, considering the unprecedented nature of the case, namely that Trump could become the first U.S. president to face felony charges, Alvin Bragg proposed the possibility of freezing the case during Trump's four-year term, so that Trump would not be sentenced for his crimes before leaving office.

ChainCatcher news, the Tongcheng City Anti-Fraud Center received a tip-off indicating that there was a large suspicious fund transaction related to fraud in the area. It is reported that the victim, Ms. Hu, met a "rich and handsome" boyfriend named Zhang online, who claimed to be working in virtual currency investment abroad, and asked her to prepare cash to hand over to a "client manager." Fortunately, the police of Tongcheng City discovered and successfully intercepted the situation in time. Upon investigation, the so-called "client manager" was actually a "cash handler" recruited by an overseas fraud group. Currently, the suspect has been criminally detained in accordance with the law for suspected fraud, and the 730,000 yuan defrauded funds have all been returned to the victim. The case is under further investigation. (Anqing Voice WeChat Official Account)

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, documents show that a judge in New York State has suspended the proceedings of the criminal case against Trump regarding hush money at the request of the prosecution.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the Futian Branch of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau issued a notice stating: "Dingyifeng" and its affiliated companies issued false financial products and "DDO digital options" (which belong to "air coins"), engaging in illegal activities and have suspected criminal offenses. In order to legally combat crime and protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors, the public security authorities have taken criminal coercive measures against Sui Mouyi, Ma Mouqiu, and others on suspicion of fundraising fraud and other crimes.Currently, the case is under further investigation. The police urge investors to actively cooperate with the public security authorities in the investigation and evidence collection, truthfully reflect the situation of the case, legally and reasonably express their demands, and not to believe or spread rumors.

ChainCatcher news, according to Coindesk, a judge in New York has ruled that the criminal trial of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm will be postponed until April 2025 to resolve discrepancies regarding expert witness disclosures. The original trial date was set for this December.Storm's legal team has filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to overturn the order regarding expert witnesses, with a hearing scheduled for November 12.Storm faces three charges of alleged money laundering, unlicensed money transmission, and sanctions violations, which could result in a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison if convicted.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Shandong Cyber Police, a man from Liaoning, Qu, impersonated an offline U merchant and was arrested by the police in September while conducting U currency transactions with a "client," with confiscated illicit funds amounting to 217,000 yuan.After investigation, the suspect Qu confessed that he had committed two U currency transactions for his superior this year, earning a total of 217,000 yuan in cash, with his cut being over 6,000 yuan.Qu admitted that he knew nothing about the U currency business, and that his superior's request for him to act as a U merchant was merely a facade. In reality, it was just to take the so-called "clients'" money. After the transactions, his superior would black out the "clients," who were all victims of their telecom network fraud.Currently, the suspect Qu has been criminally detained by the police in accordance with the law, and the case is under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Shandong Cyber Police public account, a man from Liaoning, Qu, became an offline U coin dealer after posting job information online and took a 3% cut from each transaction based on the cash received. He was arrested by the police during a transaction in September, with 217,000 yuan in illicit funds seized.After investigation, the suspect Qu confessed that he had committed crimes related to U coin transactions twice this year, earning 217,000 yuan in cash from these transactions, with his cut being over 6,000 yuan. The upper-level dealer's request for him to act as a U dealer was merely a facade; in reality, it was to withdraw money from the so-called "clients," who were all victims of their telecom network fraud. Currently, the suspect Qu has been criminally detained by the police, and the case is under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, according to CCTV News, the prosecution has found that in recent years, as the efforts to punish pyramid scheme crimes in accordance with the law have intensified, some criminals have shifted their pyramid schemes from offline to online to evade regulation and crackdown. From January to September 2024, national procuratorial organs prosecuted 4,627 people for organizing and leading pyramid scheme activities. Lawbreakers have exploited the virtuality and convenience of the internet to concoct various "get-rich-quick scams" that are difficult to distinguish between true and false, luring the public to participate.Some have engaged in online pyramid schemes by leveraging new concepts and social hotspots such as virtual currency, blockchain, financial innovation, and charitable mutual assistance. For example, in the case involving Sheng and others, they fabricated a "Google Coin" blockchain project purportedly from Google, publicly promoting and hyping it through online media, and soliciting purchases of "Google Coin" using ETH (Ethereum) as the settlement currency, ultimately developing over 60,000 members and illegally profiting more than 20 million yuan.The procuratorial organs remind the public to stay vigilant, not to believe in "get-rich-quick" schemes, not to be greedy for "small profits," and to consciously resist the temptation of seemingly easily obtainable "high returns," in order to avoid falling into the "trap" of online pyramid schemes.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, the main suspect in the UK’s 60,000 Bitcoin money laundering case and the Tianjin Lantian Ge Rui 43 billion yuan illegal fundraising case, Qian Zhimin (phonetic, alias Zhang Yadi), was arrested in April this year and charged with two counts of money laundering. The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service accused her of holding and transferring illegal cryptocurrency on or before April 23. A man named Seng Hok Ling was also charged alongside her; he pleaded not guilty to a charge of participating in money laundering arrangements knowing or suspecting that the property was criminal. The trial is set to begin on September 29, 2025, at Southwark Crown Court. "Her lawyer stated after the hearing: 'Ms. Zhang denies all criminal charges and plans to actively defend herself.'"

ChainCatcher news, according to the Nikkei, a joint task force composed of the Cyber Special Investigation Division of the National Police Agency and police forces from 9 prefectures including Saitama Prefecture arrested 26-year-old Yuta Kobayashi, whose address and occupation are unknown, on suspicion of committing fraud using a computer. Kobayashi is believed to be the leader of the group, with losses exceeding 100 million yen (approximately $667,100). The group allegedly abused the highly secretive Monero to attempt money laundering, and Kobayashi's identity was determined through tracking the flow of funds. The National Police Agency stated that this is the first time in Japan that Monero has been analyzed to identify a suspect.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Uniswap previously announced that the Unichain mainnet is scheduled to launch later this year, and some criminals are taking the opportunity to promote fake websites for scams on the Google advertising platform.The blockchain analysis platform Scam Sniffer reports that scammers have meticulously created a counterfeit website that closely resembles the official Unichain website and have placed it at the top of search results by purchasing Google ads. Although the ad displays the real Unichain website URL, clicking on it redirects users to the fake website. Once users connect their wallets, the site will continuously send transaction requests, intending to deplete the cryptocurrency assets in the users' wallets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) of Ireland has stated that it has been unable to access the Bitcoin seized from drug dealer Clifton Collins since 2020. These Bitcoins are currently worth approximately $378 million and are stored in 12 wallets. Collins claims that the file containing the wallet seed phrases was lost during a burglary. He began investing in Bitcoin in 2011 when the price ranged from $0.30 to $29.The CAB seized these Bitcoins in 2020, when they were valued at around $56 million. The Irish High Court ruled that these assets were derived from criminal activity and ordered their transfer to the CAB. However, due to the inability to access the wallets, these Bitcoins have remained frozen for the past four years. During this time, the price of Bitcoin has risen from about $9,000 to over $62,000, significantly increasing the value of this seized Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Southeast Asian countries to classify unlicensed currency service businesses or virtual asset service providers (VASP) as criminal offenses. The agency stated in a report released on Monday that some VASPs (including those linked to known criminals) are facilitating transactions for fraud organizations and high-risk gambling websites.The report mentioned that an unnamed entity conducted "at least hundreds of millions of dollars" in transactions with criminal organizations. This includes groups associated with or directly involved in large-scale drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and child sexual abuse materials, as well as entities sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and wallets linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group.Masood Karimi-Pour, the regional representative of the Office on Drugs and Crime, stated in a declaration: "Governments need to recognize more than ever the seriousness, scale, and impact of this genuine global threat, and prioritize solutions to address the rapidly evolving criminal ecosystem in the region."

ChainCatcher news, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced on Tuesday that it has seized $6.4 million worth of cryptocurrency as part of an investigation into the organizers behind the encrypted communication application Ghost used by organized crime groups.32-year-old suspect Jay Je Yoon Jung from New South Wales was arrested on September 17 during "Operation Kraken" and now faces multiple charges, including supporting a criminal organization.Authorities will transfer the seized funds to secure storage. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, these assets will be restricted. The act aims to disrupt criminal networks by confiscating illegal property.

ChainCatcher news, the U.S. Attorney's Office stated in a release that Indiana man Evan Light pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and stole cryptocurrency worth over $37 million from nearly 600 victims.Court documents show that in February 2022, Light was involved in a cyber intrusion that targeted an investment holding company located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The documents also allege that Light was accused of stealing personal information, which he then used to steal assets from hundreds of victims.The statement said, "Under Light's control, the stolen cryptocurrency was subsequently transferred around the world, including to multiple mixing services and gambling websites, to conceal his identity and hide the virtual currency."

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. government has seized over $6 million in cryptocurrency from overseas criminals, which is suspected to be linked to a cryptocurrency trust investment scam. The perpetrators of this scam lured U.S. citizens into transferring cryptocurrency through a fraudulent investment platform, ultimately funneling the funds into wallet addresses controlled by criminals. The FBI tracked the victims' funds through blockchain and identified multiple wallet addresses that still hold the victims' funds. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI's Knoxville field office.FBI Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigation Division Chad Yarbrough issued a statement regarding the cryptocurrency seizure case. Yarbrough stated that such scams are destroying countless American lives every day, with many victims even mortgaging their properties multiple times in search of "the next big investment opportunity," resulting in significant losses.

ChainCatcher news, the Central Seoul Police Station is pursuing a criminal gang that is robbing under the pretext of virtual asset trading. The gang violently threatened the victim on the 23rd in an apartment office in Jung-gu, Seoul, forcibly taking a bag containing approximately 180 million won in cash. The victim was planning to conduct a face-to-face virtual asset transaction in their office at the time of the crime and refused to hand over the money to the gang, stating, "I haven't received the coins yet."The police have arrested four suspects, including the main perpetrator, and have applied for an arrest warrant for the main suspect. They are currently tracking the whereabouts of the remaining three suspects.

ChainCatcher news, according to reports from Heshun Public Security, the Criminal Investigation Team of Heshun County Public Security Bureau successfully dismantled a criminal gang that specialized in defrauding victims of funds, withdrawing cash, and laundering money using USDT after meticulous investigation.In early September 2024, a local resident Zhao was scammed out of 50,000 yuan by someone impersonating a government official, and the funds were directly withdrawn from a bank in Chongqing. The investigating police officers reviewed a large amount of bank surveillance footage and transaction records, discovering that the suspects used "clients" to purchase cars and apply for loans. After obtaining the "clients'" bank card information, they sent it to foreign scammers via Telegram. Once the victim's defrauded funds were transferred to the "client's" bank account, they falsely claimed to the "client" that cash needed to be withdrawn for the car dealership. After receiving the transferred scam funds from the "client," they immediately converted the involved funds into USDT and transferred them abroad. This gang is linked to over 10 cases in Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui, and other locations.With strong support from the Municipal Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team and the County Bureau's Cybersecurity Team, the investigating officers gradually grasped the complete structure and criminal evidence of the money laundering gang using USDT, and identified the characteristics and activity range of the suspect responsible for withdrawing the scam funds.The investigating officers simultaneously carried out arrest operations in Chongqing, Henan, and other locations, capturing 7 suspects, seizing one involved vehicle, 10 mobile phones, one cash detector, and over 37,000 yuan in cash. The case is still under further investigation.