ChainCatcher news, a judge in Georgia has dismissed two criminal charges against former President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Trump in the 2020 Georgia election interference case, as well as another charge against an ally of Trump.

ChainCatcher news, a Brazilian federal judge has ordered the dismissal of criminal charges against the late CEO of the Bitcoin Ponzi scheme Mirror Trading International (MTI), Johann Steynberg, after police investigations confirmed reports of his death.Steynberg's death certificate has been added to the case file. Following the disclosure of this news, some victims immediately defamed these claims. Some believe that Steynberg may have faked his death. At the time of his death, Steynberg's death certificate indicated that he suffered from acute respiratory failure.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, former FTX executive Ryan Salame will be sentenced in a New York court on May 28 after admitting to criminal charges.It is reported that Ryan Salame pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy to make illegal political contributions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transfer business.

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency company SafeMoon filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, with its executives facing criminal charges in the U.S. SafeMoon stated that it has 50 to 99 creditors, assets between $10 million and $50 million, and debts ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. Unlike other cryptocurrency companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Chapter 7 bankruptcy typically does not have the intention of restructuring and restarting the company. SafeMoon's executives were arrested last month by U.S. officials on charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, but founder Kyle Nagy has been charged but has not yet been arrested. The company is also facing a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging fraud and violations of securities laws. SafeMoon's SFM has plummeted 42% in the past 24 hours, despite its low liquidity and relatively small market capitalization.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, a French court has declared the suspects in the $8.5 million hacking case of the stablecoin trading project Platypus Finance not guilty. The suspects were arrested a week after the hacking incident, following information provided by cryptocurrency detective ZachXBT and Binance that helped French police track down the two brothers.It is reported that the defendants claimed to be "ethical hackers," asserting that they obtained the funds in order to return them to the protocol, hoping to receive 10% of the total amount as a reward. Under this defense, the defendants were acquitted.

ChainCatcher news, citing sources from Bloomberg, reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking over $4 billion in fines from Binance as part of a proposed resolution to its years-long investigation.Sources revealed that the announcement could come as early as the end of this month, but it remains uncertain. The specific timing and structure of the proposed resolution, as well as the exact fees, are still unclear. Three sources indicated that the agreement aims to strike a balance that allows Binance to continue operating without risking collapse, thereby reducing the negative impact on the market and cryptocurrency holders.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Wall Street Journal, informed sources revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice has been conducting an investigation for nearly a year, which could lead to criminal charges against Binance and Changpeng Zhao, as well as billions of dollars in fines. Binance and the Justice Department have been in discussions for several months, and internally, Binance has been debating whether Zhao should step down.Earlier this month, during a virtual meeting just days before the departure of Binance.US executives, then-CEO of Binance.US, Brian Shroder, stated that Zhao needed to address "his regulatory issues, place his shares in Binance.US into a blind trust, or sell his stock" in order for the U.S. platform to maintain its growth momentum.In response to the regulatory challenges, Binance co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer He Yi vowed last month in a letter to employees to overcome these troubles. He Yi stated, "Every battle is a matter of life and death; the only thing that can defeat us is ourselves. We have won countless times, and this time we need to win as well."Additionally, according to informed sources, Zhao has been quietly hiring new lawyers to handle the U.S. Department of Justice case, while he has remained at his home in the UAE, which does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, documents submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on September 13 show that former Chief Revenue Officer of the crypto lending company Celsius, Roni Cohen-Pavon, pleaded guilty to four criminal charges of conspiracy to commit price manipulation, securities fraud, manipulation of securities prices, and wire fraud. He has posted a $40 million bail and is released until the sentencing hearing on December 11.The plea is part of an agreement with prosecutors that requires Cohen-Pavon to compensate parties affected by the collapse of Celsius. It is alleged that former CEO Alex Mashinsky profited approximately $42 million from the sale of CEL tokens by artificially inflating prices, while Cohen-Pavon earned about $3.6 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to Forbes, FTX founder SBF will face a criminal trial on October 3. Currently, the jury for the case is being selected, and his legal team has submitted a proposed list of 64 questions they would like to ask potential jurors before the trial, including: whether they or their family members or acquaintances have ever lost money in cryptocurrency trading, and whether they have experience dealing with individuals with ADHD, among others. The final questions for the jury will be determined by the presiding judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, with input from both the defense and prosecution.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, former FTX executive Ryan Salame plans to plead guilty to criminal charges related to the collapse of FTX this Thursday. After lengthy negotiations with prosecutors, Salame is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Thursday afternoon.Earlier reports indicated that Manhattan federal prosecutors are investigating former FTX executive Ryan Salame and his girlfriend among others for potential violations of campaign finance laws.

ChainCatcher news, a court in the Bahamas has blocked the government from agreeing to allow U.S. prosecutors to file certain criminal charges against Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The Supreme Court of the Bahamas stated that the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice cannot agree to new charges before SBF has a formal opportunity to contest them.Last month, U.S. federal prosecutors in Manhattan indicated that they would withdraw five overseas bribery, bank fraud, and conspiracy charges against SBF if the Bahamian government did not agree. These charges were not included in the initial eight counts against SBF last December, which focused on the collapse of FTX the previous month, but were added after his extradition. (source link)

ChainCatcher News, former director of the SEC's Internet Enforcement Office John Reed Stark tweeted that the U.S. Department of Justice will file or has already filed a criminal indictment related to Binance, "I worked in the SEC's enforcement division for nearly 20 years and managed many joint SEC-DOJ prosecution cases, and in my view, there is a lot of evidence suggesting that the DOJ will submit or has already submitted a criminal indictment related to Binance."He stated that the complaints from the CFTC and SEC read more like criminal indictments, filled with allegations of fraud, deception, obstruction of justice, and money laundering, "My view is that the DOJ is working with the SEC, CFTC, and multiple informants/whistleblowers, and the next step is to submit or unseal criminal charges related to Binance." Additionally, he believes that neither the CFTC nor SEC cases have focused on money laundering, which may leave room for the DOJ to outline and reserve prosecution space related to criminal litigation against Binance. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to Coindesk, in a pre-trial motion on Monday, Bankman-Fried's lawyers moved to dismiss most of the criminal charges against SBF, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud against FTX customers; conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Alameda Research lenders; conspiracy to commit bank fraud, arguing that prosecutors did not "constitute a crime due to failure to assert valid property rights."Additionally, the lawyers dismissed charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, unlicensed money transmission, illegal political donations, and bribery, arguing that FTX's failure was due to the "crypto winter" and blaming the regulatory debates surrounding digital assets over the past few years on the U.S. government. However, the lawyers did not attempt to dismiss the charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) requested on Monday that a U.S. judge dismiss the criminal charges against him. In a filing submitted to the Manhattan federal court, SBF's lawyers stated that several of the charges failed to properly articulate the criminal conduct. Prosecutors must respond to Bankman-Fried's dismissal request by May 29, and U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan will hear arguments on June 15. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, the plea agreement of former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York has been disclosed, including a $250,000 bail, surrender of travel documents, asset forfeiture, etc., which means Caroline Ellison will not be allowed to leave the United States.In addition, the plea agreement also reveals that if Caroline Ellison fully cooperates with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and any other law enforcement agencies designated by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, she will not face further criminal prosecution, except for criminal tax violations related to wire and commodity fraud charges (due to the commingling of funds between FTX and Alameda, she may face lawsuits from other regulatory agencies).Earlier, ChainCatcher reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, both of whom have pleaded guilty to federal charges, with Caroline Ellison admitting to conspiracy to commit wire fraud against FTX customers, conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Alameda Research lenders, conspiracy to commit commodity fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, among seven charges, which could result in a maximum sentence of 110 years in prison. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, citing sources from Reuters, reported that there is a division among prosecutors in the U.S. Department of Justice regarding whether to file criminal charges against Binance, including money laundering. Some prosecutors believe they have gathered enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Binance executives, including CZ; others believe more time is needed to review additional evidence.According to insiders, the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into Binance began in 2018, covering issues such as unlicensed money transfers, money laundering, and violations of criminal sanctions. Additionally, sources said that officials from the Department of Justice have discussed potential plea agreements with Binance's lawyers. (source link)