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HSBC Takes $400 Million Hit From Private-Credit Alleged Fraud. Barclays was a key backer, lending money as well as providing banking services to MFS and some of its funding vehicles. WSJ

Featured Report:

🔥 A Gameplan for American Economic Security: Supercharging U.S. Statecraft, from an Economic Pentagon to the Near-Global Economy FDD

Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Program in Budapest Hit by U.S. Probe WSJ

ING settles Belgium money laundering probe for 1.6 million euros Reuters

U.S. sanctions spur a ‘paradox’ pushing allies away from American currency Fortune

China says wider US sanctions on Cuba are ‘illegal’ Reuters

Thirty Individuals Charged in Global Insider Trading Scheme Netting Tens of Millions in Illicit Profits DOJ

Four Defendants, Including Two Former U.S. Postal Service Employees, Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Steal $84 Million in U.S. Treasury Checks DOJ

Ukrainian man’s indictment for bilking billionaire out of $450 million runs through Chicago CST

Ohio brothers who posed as Middle Eastern royalty receive lengthy sentence for $21M fraud scheme NYP

Itron Hackers Accessed Critical Infrastructure Operators WSJ

China Is Still Supplying Drone Factories in Iran, Russia Despite U.S. Sanctions WSJ

U.K. Targets Russian Army Recruitment Network and Drone Suppliers in Latest Sanctions Package Moscow Times

Supermicro CEO insists ‘no one’ beyond indicted employees were involved in $2.5 billion smuggling scheme Fortune

FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts Politico

In Venezuela, Trump Vowed to Show Accountability. But Secret Oil Deals Linger. NYT

He’s accused of running a Chinese spy outpost. His lawyer says it was a place to play ping-pong. AP

Spain asks European Commission to block US sanctions on ICC Reuters

UN considers threatening Iran with sanctions over strait closure AP News

Trump’s counterterrorism strategy puts focus on left-wing ‘violent secular groups’ The Hill

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🎙️ ILLICIT EDGE PODCASTS

Time to Stir the AML Pot FinCrime Unfiltered

Human Intelligence in Conflict Zones Coercive Capital

WISE and Monzo Penalties, and FinCEN Special Measures FinCrime Unfiltered

Tehran’s Tightrope: The Cost of Confrontation Coercive Capital

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💥 SANCTIONS & TERROR

Why Did California Award This Alleged Hamas Front $40 Million? City Journal

Lod court orders dissolution of Ra’am-linked charity over terror financing Times of Israel

Mali Is the Linchpin of West Africa—Now It’s Under Jihadist Siege Council on Foreign Relations

Islamic State massacres Christians in front of their families The Telegraph

Palestine Action activists guilty of Elbit Systems site raid BBC

Georgetown ‘Islamophobia’ Initiative Required To ‘Consult’ With Qatar on Guest Speakers, University Contract With Qatari Regime Reveals Free Beacon

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🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Moscow Court Orders Seizure of Stake in Farming Giant Rusagro Moscow Times

Party boss of China’s emerging tech hub under corruption probe South China Morning Post

US prepared for visa sanctions on China over migrants issue Reuters

Africa loans help strengthen yuan Semafor

Two Russian physicists working in hypersonic research jailed for 12.5 years on treason charges in Novosibirsk The Insider

With Free Vodka, and a Few Protests, Russia Returns to the Venice Biennale NYT

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💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

India’s Reliance hands over documents in bribery probe, executive gets bail Reuters

DOJ Leaders Clash on Expanding Fraud Division to Financial Crime Bloomberg

Minnesota fraudster cuts no-jail plea deal with key condition tied to alleged mastermind Fox News

Welfare fraud has blue states rushing — to shield the fraudsters NYP

Bulgaria exposed its corruption. Prosecuting it is Radev’s first test. Politico Europe

Cambodian PM’s Cousin Says Owned 30% Of Scam-linked Firm AFP

Singapore needs harsher penalties for money laundering Straits Times

Prediction Market Cheating Gets Creative WSJ

Hong Kong Justice Department Applies for Order to Freeze Prince Group Assets OCCRP

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🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Anthropic and FIS Are Building an AI Agent to Help Banks Police Financial Crimes WSJ

How Solana Exchange Drift Plans to Repay Users After $295 Million Crypto Hack Decrypt

US firms could face exclusion under new EU cyber bill Politico

Colombian president seeks to transform the Caribbean into bitcoin mining hub The Block

DOJ says ransomware gang tapped into Russian government databases TechCrunch

Kaspersky suspects Chinese hackers planted a backdoor into Daemon Tools in ‘widespread’ attack TechCrunch

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🚚 TRAFFICKING 

U.S. military strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in the eastern Pacific AP

3 plead guilty after $28M in cocaine found hidden on boat off Miami Beach NBC

Mexico’s Sheinbaum defies Trump, defends drug trafficking suspects The Hill

El Chapo managed to communicate with his sons from US maximum-security prison El País

Arizona man with Sinaloa cartel ties sentenced to 13 years for W.Va. drug trafficking  Washington Times

Alert customs officers at airport uncover illegal shipment of weapons, ammunition Washington Times

ILLICIT EDGE PODCASTS

🎙 FinCrime Unfiltered with Sarah Beth Felix

🎙 Designated with Yaya Jata Fanusie️

🎙 Coercive Capital with Elaine Dezenski

VIDEOS

INFLUENCERS

Sarah Beth Felix / Elaine Dezenski / Yaya J. Fanusie / Himamauli Das / Jim Richards / John Byrne / Tom Keatinge / Ari Redbord / Brian Krebs / Hagar Chemali / Joe Robinson / Christina Rea / Andy Greenberg / Moyara Ruehsen / Richard Weber / Erin West / Casey Michel / Varun Vira / Amit Sharma / Ken Rijock / Andrew King / Shlomit Wagman / Archana Bae / Crystal Noe / Jonathan Schanzer / Howard Spieler

RESOURCES

Financial Action Task Force /
Egmont Group /
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project /
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists /
Money Laundering Watch/
C4ADS /
Combating Terrorism Center /
Royal United Services Institute /

IN OTHER NEWS

Nordea Unit Faces Danish Probe Over Suspected AML Lapses. The FSA said that Nordea did not have sufficient knowledge of individuals within a larger group of customers who were ‌issued with credit ⁠cards. Reuters

How Iran’s Chief Sanctions Buster Went From Death Row to Crypto WSJ

The Medicaid Money Trail Leads Somewhere You Won’t Like Daily Wire

Beijing Deploys Long-Threatened Economic Arsenal Against U.S. Pressure WSJ

U.S. Warns China Over Iranian Oil as Sanctions Fight Intensifies NYT

5 charged in ‘Operation Mousetrap’ cocaine trafficking bust in Midtown Miami NBC

Ex-GOP Rep. David Rivera convicted of secretly lobbying U.S. officials on behalf of Venezuela NBC

Two Georgia men sentenced in $522M health care fraud Fox

How Iran’s Leaders Hide Their Billions National Interest

Canadian Miner Invested in Cuba Says It’s Assessing Trump’s Fresh Sanctions Bloomberg

Member of Prolific Russian Ransomware Group Sentenced to Prison DOJ

Governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa indicted in US drugs investigation says he will step down CNN

US threatens shipping firms with sanctions if they pay Iran tolls BBC

Coinbase says deal reached on key provision of crypto bill Reuters

A mob hit in Ireland, a 10-year manhunt and an arrest in Dubai Washington Post

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🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Kremlin Uses Corruption Charges to Militarize Frontline Regions Jamestown Foundation

Commission blocks EU funding for Huawei solar tech Politico

The Chinese spy bots behind Beijing’s AI heist in the West The Telegraph

The U.S. Wants to Break China’s Drone Dominance. Here’s Where It Will Struggle. WSJ

Xi’s Forever Purge: The Real Goal Behind China’s “Self-Revolution” Foreign Affairs

Sacked Russian Deputy Minister Flees to U.S. Amid Fraud Probe Moscow Times

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💥 SANCTIONS & TERROR

US extends protection of Venezuela-owned Citgo from creditors Reuters

Absent reforms, unfreezing Libyan Investment Authority is risky The New Arab

China’s ‘Teapot’ Refiners, Targeted by U.S., Offer Financial Lifeline to Iran WSJ

Oil Tanker Hijacking Stokes Fear of Links Between Houthi Rebels and Somali Pirates NYT

How Iran Accumulated 11 Tons of Enriched Uranium NYT

The U.S. Shouldn’t Lose Sight of the Real Terrorist Threats Just Security

Western Withdrawal, Jihadist Expansion: How the Sahel Became Ground Zero for Global Terrorism War on the Rocks

North Korea terrorism creditors move to seize Arbitrum-frozen Kelp DAO ETH ahead of DeFi United vote The Block

The Muslim Brotherhood Threat to the United States RealClearWorld

Iranian network linked to Revolutionary Guard openly operating in the UK The Telegraph

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💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

After Big Albania Bust, Experts Warn Scam Centers Are Hard to Stop OCCRP

How Dr. Oz became Trump’s Medicare and Medicaid fraud fighter CNN

She Blew the Whistle on Deutsche Bank to the SEC. Her Award: $0. WSJ

Hong Kong’s ‘block trade king’ pleads not guilty as Segantii insider trading trial begins Reuters

The U.S. Set Off a Corruption Scandal That Is Gripping Mexico NYT

One of Iran’s most powerful families founded its largest crypto exchange. It’s used by the IRGC to move millions. Reuters

Western Union launches USDPT stablecoin issued by Anchorage on Solana The Block

Aave fights court-ordered $73 million ETH freeze, argues ‘a thief does not own what he steals’ The Block

Kraken’s parent company Payward alleges $25 million crypto custody fraud in lawsuit against Etana and firm’s CEO CoinDesk

Trellix discloses data breach after source code repository hack BleepingComputer

Brazil’s central bank bans stablecoin and crypto settlement in cross-border payments CoinDesk

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