ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Brian Nelson, the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated at the Consensus conference that the U.S. Treasury has no intention of banning cryptocurrency mixing services.The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed in 2023 to classify cryptocurrency mixers as a "major money laundering concern" and required virtual asset service providers (VASP) to report any cryptocurrency transactions involving mixers to the agency. Nelson stated that this proposal is not aimed at banning the use of mixers but is intended to enhance transparency. Nelson also expressed an understanding of cryptocurrency users' desire for financial privacy, but he suggested that the crypto industry and the Treasury should work together to find ways to enhance privacy without supporting terrorist financing.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, several Democrats on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee are expected to introduce a bill this week aimed at cracking down on cryptocurrency mixers.Illinois Democratic Representative Sean Casten is one of the supporters of the bill, who also emphasized that Tether is the favorite token of illegal finance.

ChainCatcher news, risk management company Elliptic stated that the crypto mixer Blender may have been rebranded as Sinbad and is back in operation, with a wallet suspected to be Blender transferring $22 million to Sinbad. Furthermore, Sinbad operates in the same way as Blender, including a ten-digit mixer code, a guarantee signed by service addresses, and transaction delays of up to 7 days.It is reported that OFAC sanctioned Tornado Cash and Blender last year, and the Lazarus hackers used Sinbad to launder part of the $100 million stolen in the Horizon Bridge attack in January this year. (Cointelegraph)

ChainCatcher News: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially sued the founder of the Helix crypto mixer to recover $60 million in civil penalties. In the lawsuit, the DOJ stated that Larry Harmon, who managed the mixer, failed to pay the civil penalties imposed on him for allegedly lax implementation of measures to curb money laundering through the platform. According to the lawsuit, Harmon helped criminals launder money using cryptocurrency while concealing their activities.In 2020, the U.S. Treasury imposed a fine on Harmon through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for allegedly violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). According to the department, the defendant operated an unlicensed money transmitting business. In 2021, Harmon pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering conspiracy but has not yet been sentenced. (source link)