FinTelegram Financial Intelligence
My Featured Posts
Main Category
FBI Raids Polymarket CEO’s Home: Crypto Prediction Platform Under Scrutiny After Trump Victory Prediction!
On Nov 13, 2024, the U.S. FBI executed a search warrant against Shayne Coplan, the CEO of Polymarket, a popular blockchain-based prediction market platform. The enforcement action involved the seizure of Coplan’s phone and other electronic devices, the New York Post reported recently. An insider alleged that the seizure was politically motivated, calling it a “grand political theater at worst.”
Latest Updates
F
Main Category
From Businessman to Fugitive: The Rise and Fall of Alleged Fraudster Philippe Stanislas Antoine Wasila!
Philippe Stanislas Antoine Wasila, a 57-year-old French citizen born in Luxembourg in 1967, has been placed on Europol's Most Wanted list in connection with an alleged investment scam. Wasilla, who lived in Luxembourg for many years and is fluent in multiple languages, is accused of defrauding investors of approximately €5.4 million in 2013 and 2014. In an email to the Luxembourg Times, he denies all allegations.
I
Main Category
Insurance Tycoon Greg Lindberg Pleads Guilty to Massive $2 Billion Fraud Scheme
The Florida-based insurance magnate Greg Lindberg pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $2 billion fraud scheme that exploited insurance companies and deceived policyholders. Through a web of companies spanning North Carolina, Bermuda, and Malta, Lindberg misused funds to support an extravagant lifestyle and compromised policyholder protections, leaving multiple companies in or near liquidation.
D
Main Category
Dual Citizen Daren Li Pleads Guilty to Laundering $73M in Crypto Scam Proceeds
Daren Li, a dual citizen of China and St. Kitts and Nevis, has pleaded guilty to laundering over $73 million in cryptocurrency scam proceeds through shell companies and international bank accounts. His global scheme targeted U.S. investors, with funds laundered via encrypted communications and complex financial networks across multiple jurisdictions.
B
Main Category
Bravo: Former Spanish Anti-Money Laundering Chief Arrested Over Drug Trafficing and Money Laundering!
In an almost laughable twist, Spanish law enforcement arrested Óscar Sánchez Gil, former head of Spain’s national anti-money laundering division, after €20 million was discovered hidden within the walls of his home. Officers also found €1 million in his office, hidden in two locked cupboards, in bills of €50-500. The arrest follows Spain’s largest cocaine seizure, revealing links between high-ranking officials and drug trafficking networks.
Payment Processors
R
Main Category
Russian Entrepreneurs and Their Expanding Influence in Online Gambling and Crypto Payments
The Russian entrepreneurs Roland Isaev and Paata Gamgoneishvili have secretly emerged as major players in the online gambling and crypto payment processing sectors, with their influence extending through complex business structures in various jurisdictions. FinTelegram's ongoing investigations reveal their involvement with key entities, such as the SoftSwiss and Merkeleon groups, which they appear to control through ownership stakes and strategic acquisitions.
S
Main Category
Starscream Casinos: Offshore Casino Operator, Potential Regulatory Evasion, Payment Facilitators, and More Cyprus Connections!
Online casinos are easily transferable digital assets. The transfer of Gammix Ltd's casinos to offshore operator Starscream Ltd raises serious questions about the continued illegal gambling activities in Europe. Despite massive penalties from the Dutch regulator KSA, Gammix appears to have simply shifted its operations offshore, where it continues to flout regulatory oversight facilitated by regulated payment processors.
C
Main Category
Cybercrime Alert to Payment Processors: Warning Against Acceptance of Anonymous Domain app-paymentgw.pgws2b.com
The FinTelegram research team has identified a suspicious domain https://app-paymentgw.pgws2b.com currently deployed by several anonymously operated online casinos of Liernin Enterprises, including Malina Casino, Talismania, SlotUna, and others. This domain has been flagged due to its association with activities that potentially violate financial regulations and legal standards for online gambling.
R
Main Category
Report on Cazimbo Casino: The Role of Payment Processors in Facilitating Illegal Online Casinos!
Another day, another exposed illegal online casino facilitated via Cyprus. Payment processors play a crucial role in sustaining this underground economy. FinTelegram's research repeatedly reveals that without these facilitating payment processors, many illegal online schemes, particularly in the gambling sector, would not thrive. Currently, we are focusing on the brands of the collapsed Rabidi Group that continue to operate anonymously and unauthorized. Here is our report on Cazimbo.
Cybercrime Court Cases
C
Main Category
Crypto Crime: Bitcoin Fog Operator Sentenced to 12-Year Prison Term for Darknet Money Laundering!
Roman Sterlingov, dual Russian-Swedish national and operator of Bitcoin Fog, sentenced to over 12 years in prison for running the darknet’s longest-lasting bitcoin mixer, laundering over $400 million in criminal proceeds. A jury found Sterlingov guilty of money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and money transmission without a license.
Regulatory Updates
S
Main Category
Swedish Buy-now pay-later giant Klarna files for IPO in the US!
Klarna, the Swedish buy now, pay later (BNPL) giant, has officially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States. The fintech company confidentially submitted the relevant paperwork to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it said last night. Allegedly, the firm was in talks with banks about a New York IPO and was targeting a $20bn price tag.
F
Main Category
FTX Estate Sues Binance and Former CEO Zhao for $1.8 Billion Over “Fraudulent” Share Deal
It seems that the bankruptcy of the US crypto exchange FTX will continue to cause ripples across the crypto scene. In a high-stakes lawsuit, the FTX estate is targeting Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), seeking $1.8 billion over a controversial 2021 share buyback deal. Allegations include claims of a “constructive fraudulent transfer” and accusations of tweets that allegedly accelerated FTX's collapse.
T
Main Category
The X Factor: How Andreessen’s War on ‘Criminal’ Boycotts Could Catapult Musk’s Platform to Unprecedented Heights
In the wake of Donald Trump's recent election victory, a seismic shift is occurring in the landscape of US tech and politics. At the epicenter of this transformation stands X, Elon Musk's controversial social media platform, poised for what could be an unprecedented revenue explosion. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the influential venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and a key investor in X, has thrown down the gauntlet.
Support Scam Victims
Join the fight against cybercrime!
European Funds Recovery Initiative (EFRI) is a non-government organization with the mission to support scam and cybercrime victims.