The U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has filed a complaint against Timothy Tilton Ayre, charging him with securities fraud and the illegal distribution of an unregistered cryptocurrency, according to a statement released on FINRA’s website Tuesday, September 11. In the complaint, FINRA, overseen by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), states that Massachusetts-based Ayre tried to lure investment to his public company, Rocky Mountain Ayre, Inc. (RMTN), by selling HempCoin, which he misrepresented as “the first minable coin backed by marketable securities.” The regulator writes that Ayre’s claims are “fraudulent, positive statements about RMTN’s business and finances.” Furthermore, …

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a cease and desist order and a $200,000 fine to Crypto Asset Management (CAM) and its founder Timothy Enneking, according to a document published on the commission’s website Tuesday, September 11. According to CNBC, this is the first SEC disciplinary action against a digital asset management fund. The SEC order says that CAM “misrepresented” itself as the "first regulated crypto asset fund in the United States," and raised $3.6 million from 44 investors in late 2017, bringing its net asset value to $37 million. According to the filing, the fund has …

In what appears to be the first U.S. court case to address the matter, a New York federal judge has ruled that U.S. securities laws are applicable for prosecuting crypto fraud allegations, Reuters reports September 11. U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie ruled that the case against Brooklyn resident Maksim Zaslavskiy, which alleges that he defrauded investors in two cryptocurrencies reportedly backed by real estate and diamonds, can continue. Dearie ruled Tuesday, Sept. 11, that federal securities laws should be interpreted “flexibly,” dismissing a motion from Zaslavskiy’s lawyers to drop the charges on the grounds that the cryptocurrencies didn’t fall under …

Star Xu, the founder of exchange services provider OKCoin and the world’s second-largest crypto exchange OKEx, has allegedly been detained in China in relation to suspected digital currency fraud, local news outlet Sina News reports September 11. According to the news outlet, Xu is currently being held in the Shanghai Weifang Xincun police station, and will be released within 24 hours if insufficient evidence is found of his participation in suspected fraud. Tech news sources ZeroHedge reports that investors in WFEE Coin — a company where Xu is a shareholder — complained to the police about the company’s allegedly fraudulent …

The Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece has ruled to extradite alleged BTC-e owner Alexander Vinnik to Russia to face several cyber fraud charges, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports Tuesday, September 4. The formal decision on extradition to Russia will be issued September 14, coming into force the same day. During the actual hearing, the Supreme Court will also consider France’s request on the alleged BTC-e owner’s extradition. According to RIA, Vinnik agreed with his extradition to Russia. “[This case] is now up to politicians and their will,” his attorney Timofey Musatov stated. The U.S., France, and …

Major insurance firm the People's Insurance Company of China (PICC) will apply blockchain technology to its operations via a new partnership, according to a September 1 press release. PICC has partnered with blockchain platform VeChain, and a global quality assurance and risk management company DNV GL to make their business more time and cost efficient. Additionally, the new partnership intends to improve fraud prevention, Know your Customer (KYC) compliance, as well as the claims experience. In the announcement, PICC says that blockchain technology will bring digital transformation to the insurance industry, which will reportedly create an "instant compensation" for companies …

Alleged former owner of crypto exchange BTC-e Alexander Vinnik was indicted and subjected to a "fake" interrogation by French prosecutors on Tuesday, August 28, his attorney Timofey Musatov told Russian news outlet Izvestiya Thursday, August 30. Musatov claims that his client Vinnik was brought to a court in Greece where he is currently awaiting extradition and then informed about official charges in France. Musatov also told Izvestiya that French prosecutors attempted to hold a "fake" interrogation without informing his lawyers, which he insists was a violation of Vinnik’s rights. He further explains that under Greek law only local security forces …

The U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has won a court order to permanently bar the operator of the New York-based firm CabbageTech Corp. for cryptocurrency-related “bold and vicious fraud,” Bloomberg reported August 24. Earlier this year, Patrick McDonnell, cryptocurrency promoter and operator of CabbageTech Corp., was charged with “fraud and misappropriation in connection with purchases and trading of Bitcoin (BTC) and Litecoin (LTC).” McDonnell subsequently argued that the CFTC did not have the authority to regulate his commercial operations; however, New York district judge Jack B. Weinstein rejected his claim. In July, Weinstein reportedly held a nonjury trial where …

Beverly Hills-based Playboy Enterprises is suing Canadian firm Global Blockchain Technologies (GBT), claiming that it failed to integrate blockchain technology into Playboy’s online media channels, the Los Angeles Times reported August 14. Playboy Enterprises reportedly filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accusing the Canadian company of fraud and breaching a contract, which the two companies drew in March. Per the terms of the agreement, GBT would integrate the Vice Industry Token (VIT) on Playboy’s media sites. Playboy said that the blockchain firm not only failed to fulfill the requirements, but also omitted a payment of $4 million …

Valve Corporation has removed a game from its video game marketplace Steam that allegedly hijacked users’ computers to mine cryptocurrency, Motherboard reported July 30. The Steam game store has delisted Abstractism, an indie game accused of deceptive practices and cryptojacking, and has banned its developer from the platform. Steam took action following complaints from a number of users saying that the game setup file seemed to include a Trojan virus and malware disguised as steam.exe processes and launcher. Further investigation conducted by different players found that the programs were crypto miners that infected users’ computers to mine Monero. Game developer …

A Greek court has accepted a Russian request to extradite Bitcoin (BTC) fraud suspect Alexander Vinnik, complicating subsequent international litigation, the Associated Press reported July 30. A panel of senior judges in the city of Thessaloniki ruled in favor of a new extradition request from Russia for the accused computer expert. At a hearing on Monday, Vinnik reportedly denied allegations of fraudulent activity and said that he was fighting U.S. dominance in the global financial system. The court's decision complicates the case as the U.S. and France seek his extradition as well. Vinnik, who is a former owner of crypto …

The operator of now defunct Bitcoin (BTC) stock exchange BitFunder has pleaded guilty to federal charges of obstruction of justice and securities fraud, Reuters reports July 23. According to prosecutors, 37-year old Jon Montroll, also known as Ukyo, also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, admitting that he provided false balance statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in an investigation of the fake 6,000 BTC BitFunder hack in 2013. Montroll, of Saginaw, Texas, operated BitFunder, where users could sell virtual shares of businesses for bitcoins, as well as Bitcoin exchange and depository WeExchange Australia Pty Ltd. Montroll …