{"id":157422,"date":"2025-05-18T19:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptodnes.bg\/en\/?p=157422"},"modified":"2025-05-17T21:07:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T18:07:23","slug":"fbi-led-crackdown-exposes-massive-crypto-laundering-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptodnes.bg\/en\/fbi-led-crackdown-exposes-massive-crypto-laundering-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI-Led Crackdown Exposes Massive Crypto Laundering Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The man, whose name remains suppressed for legal reasons, is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.police.govt.nz\/news\/release\/wellington-based-man-arrested-international-cryptocurrency-scam-investigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">among<\/a> <\/strong>13 individuals implicated in a scheme that allegedly funneled over NZD $450 million ($265 million USD) through fraudulent means. U.S. federal prosecutors say victims were lured into parting with large sums of crypto, which were then laundered through a web of digital platforms between March and August 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The accused is facing charges in the United States for racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. According to investigators, the operation funded a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars, designer items, exclusive rentals, and high-end services across cities like Los Angeles and Miami.<\/p>\n<p>The arrest follows coordinated search operations in Wellington, Auckland, and California, as part of an ongoing FBI-led global probe. New Zealand authorities emphasized the importance of international collaboration in tracking complex digital crimes that transcend borders.<\/p>\n<style>\n    .dark-mode .read-more {background-color: #343a40 !important;}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"read-more pb-3 pt-3 pt-md-2 px-3 my-4 border bg-light\">\n    <h5 class=\"text-uppercase border-bottom mb-3 pb-1 d-none d-md-block\">READ MORE:<\/h5>\n    <a class=\"article row\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptodnes.bg\/en\/how-this-crypto-trader-turned-9000-into-millions-in-a-month\/\" title=\"How This Crypto Trader Turned $9,000 Into Millions in a Month\">\n        <div class=\"contentRight col-4\">\n            <span class=\"imgContainer mt-0\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image img-defer\" src=\"https:\/\/cryptodnes.bg\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/maximizing-profit-1-1-240x170.webp\">\n            <\/span>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"contentLeft col-8\">\n            <h4 class=\"title mb-0\">How This Crypto Trader Turned $9,000 Into Millions in a Month<\/h4>           \n            \n        <\/div>        \n    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>The suspect has been released on bail and is set to appear in court again in July.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, crypto-related thefts are surging. April 2025 saw a staggering $360 million stolen in digital assets across 18 incidents, according to data from blockchain security firm PeckShield. A single exploit\u2014reportedly a social engineering scam targeting a U.S. senior citizen\u2014accounted for $330 million of that total.<\/p>\n<p>As fraudsters grow more sophisticated, law enforcement agencies worldwide are intensifying efforts to clamp down on digital asset crimes and restore trust in blockchain-based finance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A high-profile investigation into one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud operations this year has led to the arrest of a Wellington man, as authorities across New Zealand and the United States crack down on cross-border cybercrime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocrime"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>FBI-Led Crackdown Exposes Massive Crypto Laundering Scheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A high-profile investigation into one of the largest cryptocurrency fraud operations this year has led to the arrest of a Wellington man...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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