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Tag: Alexander Waldstein

May 7, 2023

Arrested Former CEO Of Austrian Meinl Bank Expected To be Extradited To The United States!

In May 2021, Peter Weinzierl, the former CEO of the now-defunct Meinl Bank, was arrested on US charges at a London airfield after piloting his private jet. US officials investigating international money laundering believed he would hold “valuable information” about individuals in Russia and Ukraine. Weinziel said he was “lured” by a CIA agent to Britain to be more easily extradited to the US. He is expected to be extradited to the U.S.

May 26, 2021

The background story of Austrian Meinl Bank and its now arrested CEO

Austria's Meinl Bank was notorious for its role in the international money laundering scene. In September 2020, FinTelegram reported that a significant portion of the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARS) revealed by the FinCEN Leaks involved Austrian Meinl Bank and its subsidiary Meinl Bank Antigua. In addition, the OCCRP report titled The Vienna Bank Job revealed that the bank laundered hundreds of millions from Ukraine. Furthermore, cybercrime activists such as Russian Vladislav Smirnov also used Meinl Bank for his business. Meinl Bank has since closed; its former CEO, Peter Weinzierl, was arrested yesterday in the UK.

Circle Joins U.S.-Led Initiative to Combat Illicit Finance in Virtual Assets!

Erik Rosenblatt, a senior leader at US stablecoin issuer Circle, will represent the company on the Illicit Virtual Asset Network (IVAN) board. Prior to joining Circle, Rosenblatt spent over two decades as a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As part of IVAN, Circle will have a voting role in determining the network's priorities and membership.

Evil Corp: A Comprehensive Report on Russia’s Family-Driven Cybercriminal Organization!

The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Treasury have taken significant action against Evil Corp, a Russia-based cybercriminal group responsible for developing and distributing malware that has stolen over $100 million from banks and financial institutions across 40 countries. Evil Corp appears to operate as a family enterprise, with multiple family members involved.

Good News For Crypto: SEC Enforcement Director Gurbir S. Grewal Steps Down After Impactful Tenure!

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to experience a significant leadership change as Enforcement Director Gurbir S. Grewal announces his departure. Grewal oversaw a period of heightened regulatory activity specifically targeting the crypto sector. Under his leadership, the SEC Filed high-profile lawsuits against major cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase.

U.S. DOJ Indicted Russian Hacker and Evil Corp Member Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov!

The U.S. DOJ unsealed an indictment charging Russian national Aleksandr Viktorovich Ryzhenkov with using the BitPaymer ransomware variant to attack numerous victims in Texas and throughout the U.S. and hold their sensitive data for ransom. According to the indictment, beginning in at least June 2017, Ryzhenkov allegedly gained unauthorized access to the information stored on victims’ computer networks.

Starling Bank Slammed with £29M Fine for ‘Shockingly Lax’ AML Controls, Exposing UK Financial System to Criminals!

The UK neobank Starling Bank has been fined £29 million by the UK FCA for opening accounts for high-risk customers and failing to screen against full sanctions lists. Its rapid expansion outpaced its compliance measures, leaving significant gaps in its AML framework. Starling grew from approximately 43,000 customers in 2017 to 3.6 million in 2023. However, measures to tackle financial crime did not keep pace with its growth.