New developments show criminals continue to abuse cryptocurrencies in the traditional areas of theft, fraud and extortion. On Sept. 5, a press release announced the guilty plea of Louis Meza for orchestrating the kidnapping and theft of more than $1.8 million in Ether. The press release quoted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance as saying "Louis Meza orchestrated a 21st-century stick-up ... Then 21st-century investigators brought him swiftly to justice ...." In an ongoing lawsuit in Vancouver, a judge has ordered the return of a former executive's company laptop, in an attempt to discover up to $7 million in cryptocurrency allegedly stolen by the executive from his former company. In India, a former politician was recently arrested for suspected involvement in a scheme to frame another man for the purpose of extorting $1.3 million in bitcoins. And in Japan, the trustee of the defunct bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox recently announced that corporate creditors can now enter claims as part of the civil rehabilitation to claw back their bitcoin through a newly approved process.
To read more about the above developments, please see the following:
- DA Vance Announces Guilty Plea of Ring Leader in $1.8 Million Cryptocurrency Armed Robbery
- C. executive accused of taking millions in cryptocurrency from former employer
- In Bitcoin extortion case of $1.3 million, ex-Indian MLA detained
- Mt Gox's Corporate Creditors Can Now File Claims for Bitcoin Refunds
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