The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has intensified its crackdown on crypto fraud, focusing on Triten Financial Group and GCZ Global, led by Jonathan and Tanner Adam.
The SEC accuses the Adam brothers of misappropriating $61.5 million from investors under the pretense of a crypto lending scheme.
Promising substantial returns through fake lending pools, the Adams reportedly used the funds for personal luxuries, including a $30 million condo and other high-end purchases.
The SEC has taken swift action by freezing the assets of the implicated companies to prevent further financial losses and is seeking legal penalties against the Adams for breaching anti-fraud regulations.
In a related development, the SEC has reached a settlement with Abra, a crypto firm charged for operating without proper registration.
Abra’s Earn program, which managed nearly $600 million, was found to be in violation of SEC registration requirements. Abra has agreed to an injunction and will face civil penalties, pending court approval.
Chris Larsen, the co-founder of Ripple, suffered a significant financial blow in 2024 when he lost over $661 million worth of XRP due to a security breach in the password management system LastPass.
Venture capitalist and Mission Gate founder George Bachiashvili is now facing imprisonment in Georgia after a court revoked his bail.
Hackers have exploited a vulnerability in DeFi aggregator 1inch’s resolver smart contract, leading to losses of over $5 million, according to blockchain security firm SlowMist.
Tether has taken a significant step by freezing $27 million worth of USDt on the Russian crypto exchange Garantex, which has led to the platform halting its operations.