US financial watchdog fines early Bitcoin mixer $60M for money laundering
FinCEN has fined the operator of early crypto mixers Helix and Coin Ninja for Bank Secrecy Act violations. The founder and operator of some of the first "mixing" services in crypto will have to cough up $60 million to United States regulators, even as he faces continued criminal charges. The U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, announced on Monday a $60 million fine against Larry Dean Harmon, the man behind Helix and Coin Ninja.Harmon was arrested in February for operating a stable of tumblers, or mixers, that Washington, D.C. prosecutors allege constitute....
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Larry Dean Harmon, founder and operator of early bitcoin mixing services Helix and Coin Ninja, is being fined $60 million by the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (Fincen) for allegedly violating anti-money laundering rules. According to documents published Oct. 19 by Fincen, the fine surrounds the transmission of “at least 356,000 bitcoin transactions through Helix between June 2014 and December 2017” on behalf of criminals using the dark web. Prosecutors allege Harmon was running an unregistered money services business (MSB) in violation of the Bank....
The Dutch government is trying to make it easier to launch a criminal investigation against persons who use bitcoin to launder money from illegal activities, according to Financieele Dagblad, a Dutch newspaper. Dutch investigators have discovered criminals are shielding activities using “bitcoin mixers.” A bitcoin mixer is a grab bag with bitcoins of several owners. The bitcoins paid out from the bitcoin mixer cannot be traced back to the original owner. Bitcoin And Money Laundering. The FIOD, the investigative arm of the Dutch tax authority, wishes to have the bitcoin mixers recognized as....
The UIAF, which is the Colombian money laundering watchdog, has postponed the date on which exchanges and individuals must start reporting their transactions to the organization. The institution will now open a consulting period in which companies and individuals can present their thoughts regarding the proposed regulation, which might be modified before its application on June 1st.
Colombian Watchdog Delays Report Resolution for Transactions
The UIAF, the organization that controls and detects money-laundering and terrorism-financing activities in Colombia, has delayed a....
MONEYVAL, Europe’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) watchdog, has prioritized monitoring the crypto industry, as well as “gatekeeper” professionals like attorneys and accountants, in European countries’ efforts to prevent money laundering. Watchdog Says Europe Need Better AML Laws MONEYVAL called on European countries to review conformity with international standards and develop tighter regulatory measures […]
Today, banks and financial markets refuse to share information that can prevent money launderers and fraudsters from operating in the shadows, in the gaps between market participants. But now the situation is changing. As Grant Blaisdell, co-founder and COO of Coinfirm.io says: “Blockchain has the potential to completely eliminate fraud, money laundering and criminal activity from our financial and banking systems.” This is the first in a three-part report that looks at Anti-money laundering (AML) and the efforts of the Blockchain community to bring everyone together to rid the financial....