Crypto Sanctions Shock: Treasury Hits DPRK IT Web After $800M Fraud
The US Treasury (OFAC) has sanctioned six individuals and two entities tied to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) IT‑worker schemes that allegedly generated nearly $800 million in 2024. US Vs. DPRK Over Crypto Fraud Crypto is once again at the center of Washington’s latest sanctions push. On an official press release on March 12, the US Treasury announced that they have blacklisted a North Korean IT‑worker network accused of routing nearly $800 million through digital assets to fund weapons programs in 2024. The Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, quoted on the....
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The U.S. Department of the Treasury says that the growing use of crypto assets challenges the efficacy of American sanctions. “We are mindful of the risk that, if left unchecked, these digital assets and payments systems could harm the efficacy of our sanctions,” the Treasury Department explained. Treasury Says Crypto Threatens Efficacy of U.S. Sanctions The U.S. Department of the Treasury released its 2021 Sanctions Review Monday. “Technological innovations such as digital currencies, alternative payment platforms, and new ways of hiding cross-border transactions all....
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued its first-ever sanctions on a crypto mixer. The mixing service was used by Lazarus Group to process illicit proceeds from the $620 million crypto heist of the online game Axie Infinity, said the Treasury Department. Treasury Department Sanctions Crypto Mixer The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Friday that it has sanctioned crypto mixer Blender.io (Blender). According to the OFAC, this mixing service is used by the Democratic....
Two EU citizens have been indicted for violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea when they jointly planned a crypto conference there. A United States district court has charged two European citizens in connection to a blockchain and cryptocurrency conference in North Korea which violated U.S. sanctions back in 2019. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the court documents allege that Alejandro Cao De Benos, a citizen of Spain, and Christopher Emms, a citizen of the United Kingdom, conspired to violate U.S. sanctions on North Korea when they jointly planned and organized the 2019....
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the Treasury Department is monitoring Russian efforts to evade sanctions using cryptocurrency. Four U.S. senators have written to Yellen raising concerns about Russia using cryptocurrency as a channel to circumvent sanctions.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monitoring Russian Efforts to Use Cryptocurrency to Evade Sanctions
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talked about the Treasury Department monitoring Russian efforts to evade sanctions using crypto at an event hosted by the University of Illinois Wednesday, the Wall Street....
The U.S. Department of the Treasury does not see that cryptocurrency could be used in a large-scale way to evade sanctions. “Its share as a medium for illicit finance is not anywhere as large as just using cash,” a senior Treasury official noted.
Treasury Department’s View on Crypto Use to Evade Sanctions
Nellie Liang, Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance, talked about the potential use of cryptocurrency as a tool to evade sanctions for Russia Friday in an interview with Reuters.
The senior Treasury official explained that the crypto....