ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a man from Austin, Texas, was sentenced to two years in prison for falsely reporting the capital gains from the sale of $3.7 million in Bitcoin on his tax return. According to court documents and statements, Frank Richard Ahlgren III submitted false tax returns between 2017 and 2019, underreporting or failing to report $4 million in Bitcoin sales transactions, from which he made substantial profits. Regulatory provisions require all taxpayers to report any sales profits as well as gains or losses from the sale of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin on their tax returns.Lucy Tan, acting special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Houston office, stated, "This case marks the first criminal tax prosecution solely related to cryptocurrency." In addition to imprisonment, the man is also required to pay $1,095,031 in restitution to the United States.

ChainCatcher news, November 7, FTX co-founder Gary Wang's lawyer argued that Wang should not be sentenced to prison, as he cooperated with authorities and was unaware of the extent of the exchange's criminal activities.According to a sentencing memorandum submitted on Wednesday, Wang stated that he was not aware of the misappropriation of FTX customer funds by sister company Alameda Research and only learned of the situation after the fraudulent activities were "well underway." Wang is scheduled to be sentenced in a New York court on November 20. Wang's son is also set to be born a week later on November 27, and both he and his wife Cheryl Chen are full-time software engineers. The memorandum states that his current work includes supporting "forensic companies, criminal investigators, and judicial professionals seeking to preserve evidence faithfully."Wang later testified in SBF's trial, telling the court about the special privileges secretly granted to Alameda Research for accounts on FTX. The lawyer also stated, "It is crucial, as acknowledged by the government and evidenced in the trial, that when Gary was writing code, he had no idea that Bankman-Fried would exploit these features to steal customer funds. Bankman-Fried did not even inform Gary before he began to utilize these features (let alone coordinate with him)."

ChainCatcher News, U.S. prosecutors submitted a document to the court on September 17, recommending a lighter sentence for former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison. The prosecutors stated that Ellison provided "extraordinary cooperation" in the prosecution of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and assisted in the investigation of misconduct at Alameda Research and FTX.The prosecutors emphasized that although Ellison played a central role in SBF's criminal scheme, she was not involved in all aspects of FTX. Ellison pleaded guilty in December 2022 and testified at SBF's trial.Given Ellison's cooperative attitude and contributions to the case, the prosecutors believe her testimony was crucial for the prosecution and conviction of SBF. Ellison's attorney had previously requested probation. She is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on September 24.

ChainCatcher news, according to ABC News, former U.S. President Trump is seeking to delay sentencing in the New York "hush money" case until after the presidential election.

ChainCatcher news, according to market news, Trump's sentencing date is set for July 11, and it may be postponed.

ChainCatcher news, recently, the Haikou Intermediate People's Court of Hainan Province upheld the original judgment in the "Vika Coin" case in the second instance, sentencing Liu Mouyan, Huang Mouzhi, and Liu Mourui to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 13 years to 3 years for the crime of fundraising fraud, along with fines.In the first-instance court's judgment, Liu Mouyan was sentenced to 13 years in prison and fined 700,000 yuan for fundraising fraud; Huang Mouzhi was sentenced to 8 years in prison and fined 500,000 yuan for fundraising fraud; Liu Mourui was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 100,000 yuan for fundraising fraud. After the verdict, Huang Mouzhi appealed.The Haikou Intermediate Court held that the original judgment determined that the appellant Huang Mouzhi and the original defendants Liu Mouyan and Liu Mourui illegally raised over 16.62 million yuan with the intent of illegal possession using fraudulent methods, and their actions clearly constituted the crime of fundraising fraud, thus upholding the original judgment.Previous news from August 2022, the Qiongshan Branch of the Haikou Public Security Bureau successfully solved a case of investment fraud involving virtual currency for elderly care, arresting 9 suspects. The criminals guided middle-aged and elderly individuals to invest in the virtual currency "Vika Coin" for profit, with the amount involved exceeding 20 million yuan and over 100 victims.

ChainCatcher news, according to on-site reporter @nikhileshde, Judge Richard Jones in the Zhao Changpeng case basically agreed with the probation office's viewpoint. The sentencing is 10-16 months of imprisonment and a 1-3 year term. Before the final ruling, opinions from the Department of Justice, the defense, and Zhao Changpeng will now be heard. DOJ lawyers emphasized that Zhao Changpeng deliberately attempted to exploit the U.S. financial system.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Reuters, former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao, may face several years in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to violating U.S. money laundering laws. U.S. prosecutors have informed Seattle District Judge Richard Jones that they are seeking a sentence for Zhao that is double the recommended maximum of 18 months under federal guidelines. Prosecutors stated that imposing a severe penalty on someone once considered the most influential figure in the cryptocurrency industry would send a message that "the right choice every time is to obey the law."The hearing began at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday (May 1, 12:00 a.m. Beijing time). Robert Fisher, a partner at Boston's Nixon Peabody law firm and former federal prosecutor, expressed surprise at the prosecutors' request for a harsh sentence after Zhao's guilty plea, but suggested they might be trying to set an example due to Zhao's high profile. He said, "Requesting a sentence that exceeds the sentencing guidelines is unusual, and they hope this will serve as a deterrent." Zhao's lawyers requested probation, arguing that Zhao has "unwaveringly" accepted responsibility and has already paid a $50 million criminal fine. They also noted that Zhao has never committed a crime before, and no defendants in similar cases have been imprisoned.

ChainCatcher News, an assistant prosecutor from the U.S. federal prosecutor's office stated in court that SBF did not swear to refrain from doing so again, and also mentioned the possibility of relaunching FTX or similar products. Therefore, it is suggested to sentence SBF to 40 years in prison to prevent him from making mistakes again.

ChainCatcher news, CNBC reporter Mackenzie Sigalos posted on the X platform that the sentencing hearing for SBF will take place at 9:30 AM ET (9:30 PM Beijing time) on the 26th floor of the Manhattan Federal Court.Sigalos added that after speaking with prosecutors and trial lawyers, there is a consensus that SBF could be sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison.

ChainCatcher news, SBF's defense team submitted a sentencing memorandum last month, urging District Judge Lewis Kaplan to impose a lighter sentence of no more than 6.5 years on SBF. The defense also submitted several letters of recommendation from SBF's parents and brother, followers of effective altruism philosophy, former FTX employees, and several other individuals.SBF's sentencing is scheduled for March 28 at 9:30 AM Eastern Time (9:30 PM Beijing Time).

ChainCatcher news, according to the sentencing memorandum of FTX founder SBF, SBF proposed a sentencing range of 63 to 78 months for the fraud conviction of FTX.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, SBF appeared in court for the first time since being convicted of fraud and conspiracy last fall to confirm that he has no objections to his new lawyer. His new lead attorney is Mark Mukasey. Previous attorneys Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell will withdraw from his case.It is reported that the new lawyer is also the attorney for former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky. The Department of Justice has charged him with securities fraud, commodity fraud, and conspiracy to manipulate the price of the company’s token CEL, among other charges. Mashinsky is set to go on trial this fall.

ChainCatcher News, U.S. Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan denied SBF's request to extend the sentencing process and postpone the acceptance of interviews with the U.S. probation and pretrial services system. SBF's lawyers requested on Wednesday to delay the sentencing hearing originally scheduled for March 28 next year by four to six weeks, stating that the U.S. Department of Justice may conduct a second review of the bank fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act conspiracy charges on March 11.The judge denied the motion, stating that the defense did not raise any objections when the date for the sentencing hearing was initially set. If the Department of Justice does decide to pursue additional charges, the sentencing may be delayed.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, U.S. prosecutors have requested a federal judge to prevent Binance founder CZ from returning to the UAE before sentencing, and instead remain in the United States.Previous report, Binance founder and former CEO CZ has been released after posting a $175 million personal bond, with the sentencing hearing scheduled for February 23, 2024, at 9:00 AM Pacific Time (February 24, 2024, at 1:00 AM Beijing Time).

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao has been released after posting a $175 million personal bond, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for 9:00 AM Pacific Time on February 23, 2024 (1:00 AM Beijing Time on February 24).The terms of Zhao's release prohibit him from violating the law, contacting witnesses or victims, or using any non-prescription controlled substances, which are standard conditions of bail. Zhao is allowed to leave the United States and stated that he must return 14 days before sentencing.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan has set the sentencing date for SBF on March 28, 2024. SBF's defense attorneys opposed several rulings by Kaplan before and during the trial and are expected to appeal the verdict.Previous report, SBF was found guilty on all 7 counts and could face up to 115 years in prison.