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Samourai Wallet’s Keonne Rodriguez Gets Maximum 5-Year Sentence in Bitcoin Crime Crackdown
Samourai Wallet co-founder Keonne Rodriguez received the maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for operating an unlicensed Bitcoin mixing service that prosecutors said laundered more than $200 million in illicit funds. Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York also imposed a $250,000 fine, underscoring the court’s view that the service was designed to obfuscate blockchain transaction trails and enable crypto crime tied to darknet markets, hacks, and fr
Keyword Financial
Nov 7, 20254 min read
Makina Protocol Hack: Why Early 2026 is Seeing a Surge in DeFi Exploits
Makina, a DeFi protocol, reported a $4.2 million exploit on 20 January 2026 tied to liquidity providers in its DUSD/USDC Curve pool, adding to rising DeFi attacks in early 2026 with over $34 million in losses already recorded.
China Takes Custody of Alleged Pig Butchering Mastermind Behind Record BTC Seizure
Chinese authorities have taken custody of Chen Zhi, a businessman described by U.S. officials as a central figure in a major Bitcoin scam and money laundering operation linked to a record $15B bitcoin seizure. Chen, 38, is the chairman and founder of Cambodia-based Prince Group, a conglomerate that U.S. and U.K. authorities allege was used as cover for transnational criminal activity; Prince Group has denied the allegations.
CLARITY Act Update: DeFi Carve-Out, Digital Commodities, and the Next Phase of Crypto Market Structure
Washington is preparing a January markup for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) of 2025, a major U.S. crypto regulation proposal designed to reduce the long-running SEC vs CFTC jurisdiction fight and create clearer rules for digital assets trading.
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