Reported by Thomas Brewster (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/08/19/the-wiretap-the-dea-laundered-19-million-of-cartel-drug-money-into-cash-and-crypto/) For over a decade, the DEA ran a money laundering operation for a Columbian narcotics trafficking cartel. In total, the agency and its sources took in $19 million in drug money, funnelling cash into bank and cryptocurrency accounts controlled by sources, agents and the cartel. […]

Reported by Chirag Bhardwaj (Summary shared below. For full report, go to: https://appinventiv.com/blog/blockchain-for-digital-identity-verification/) Digital identity is the backbone of how individuals interact online, from logging into social media accounts to verifying identities for banking and tax services. Yet, the current centralized systems that manage digital identity are increasingly vulnerable to theft, fraud, and misuse. In […]

Reported by James Reddick (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://therecord.media/scammers-ghost-tapping-retail-fraud-launder-cash) Chinese organized criminal groups in Southeast Asia are increasingly using stolen payment card information and retail fraud to launder their illicit proceeds.    The technique demonstrates the sophisticated level of coordination among criminal actors as they attempt to move money derived from […]

Reported by Benoit Faucon and Vera Bergengruen (Summary shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/erik-prince-mercenaries-vectus-global-5a166dca?mod=mhp) Erik Prince, the controversial founder of Blackwater, is reasserting himself in the private military industry with his new company, Vectus Global, pitching security solutions to governments and businesses in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Prince, once disgraced […]

Reported by Carson Kessler and Gabby Herzig (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6554056/2025/08/15/womens-golf-catfishing-social-media-stalking-cases/) Indiana native. 62 years old. Big golfer. A huge fan of the LPGA. On Aug. 4, Rodney opened an Instagram account with the handle @lpgafanatic6512, and he quickly followed some verified accounts for female golfers and a few other accounts […]

Reported Mayer Brown (Summary featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2025/08/the-tornado-cash-trials-mixed-verdict-implications-for-developer-liability) The Tornado Cash trial concluded on August 6, 2025, with a mixed verdict against co-founder Roman Storm. After four weeks of proceedings in the Southern District of New York, the jury convicted him on one charge—conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting […]

Reported by SAM COOPER (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.thebureau.news/p/us-bribery-indictment-points-to-mexican) A new U.S. indictment accuses two Mexican nationals doing business in Texas of bribing officials at Mexico’s state energy company Pemex — a scheme that appears to be just one piece of a vast conspiracy outlined in U.S. sanctions filings in […]

Reported by Steve Lohr (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/business/ai-business-payoff-lags.html) Nearly four decades ago, when the personal computer boom was in full swing, a phenomenon known as the “productivity paradox” emerged. It was a reference to how, despite companies’ huge investments in new technology, there was scant evidence of a corresponding […]

Reported by BEN MUNSTER (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.politico.eu/article/vatican-financial-obscure-transactions-claims-bank-transfers-money-laundering/) The Vatican is facing allegations it used a “skeleton key for money laundering” by illegally manipulating bank transfers. The city state’s former top financial cop ― who was forced out in 2017 ― has claimed that its payroll agency was able […]

Reported by Richard Pollina (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/us-news/california-usps-worker-mary-ann-magdamit-stole-cards-and-checks-from-mail-to-fund-lavish-lifestyle-she-flaunted-online/) A California postal worker allegedly stole credit, debit cards and checks to fuel a lavish lifestyle that included luxurious tropical vacations and Rolex watches she flaunted on social media Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, a former letter carrier at the Torrance Main […]