{"id":12268,"date":"2019-03-12T22:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T22:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/?p=12268"},"modified":"2019-11-18T20:06:42","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T20:06:42","slug":"news-bitcointopia-busted-onecoin-busted-1pool-busted-canada-audits-crypto-traders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/2019\/03\/12\/news-bitcointopia-busted-onecoin-busted-1pool-busted-canada-audits-crypto-traders\/","title":{"rendered":"News: Bitcointopia busted, OneCoin busted, 1pool busted, Canada audits crypto traders"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Bitcointopia” fraudster Morgan Rockcoons has pled guilty to wire fraud<\/a> for his scheme to sell land in Nevada to libertarians \u2014 the “Galt’s Gulch” scam, with bitcoins.<\/p>\n

The US Justice Department has charged Konstantin Ignatov and Ruja Ignatova, founders of OneCoin,<\/a> with wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. Did you know there was never even a coin?<\/p>\n

The CFTC has settled with 1pool\/1broker and its CEO Patrick Brunner, for having offered unlawful retail commodity transactions \u2014 specifically, Contracts for Difference, settled in bitcoin \u2014 failure to register as a futures commission merchant, and failure to implement a KYC\/AML programme. 1pool has been fined $421,000 and have to pay back their customers’ bitcoins. Here’s the consent order.<\/a> This applied even thought 1pool were based outside the US \u2014 but had US customers. Gosh, I wonder if any exchanges have done any of these things.<\/p>\n

Let none repeat the calumny<\/i> that Bitcoin has any link to organised crime or drugs, and never mind that two Australian crypto exchanges just got suspended<\/a> for precisely this.<\/p>\n

Texas state representative Phil Stephenson<\/a> (R, district 85) has proposed a bill<\/a> to ban anonymous crypto transactions \u2014 it requires identity verification for all transactions, unless the digital currency is a “verified identity digital currency.” Also, “This state may not use a digital currency that is not a verified identity digital currency.” It’s not clear how much push this bill has behind it, though.<\/p>\n

Bitcoin users in Canada are being targeted for audits<\/a> by the Canada Revenue Agency, who have a sudden interest in regulation of cryptocurrencies. They’re starting by sending out questionnaires \u2014 here’s a copy.<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m shocked, shocked to hear that there’s rampant wash trading<\/a> still<\/i> going on at exchanges!<\/p>\n

Kyle S. Gibson: 100 Crypto Thefts: A Timeline of Hacks, Glitches, Exit Scams, and other Lost Cryptocurrency Incidents.<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s a ton of Quadriga updates<\/a> from Amy Castor. “After I published that story, WB21, threatened me with legal action. I responded by posting the documents they sent. Since then, I\u2019ve been getting anonymous threats via social media, telling me to stop talking about Quadriga.” Amy and Kyle drove to Halifax in person!<\/a><\/p>\n

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"What if instead of a regulated industry with at least minimal accountability, we turned it all over to whoever can amass the most off-brand GPUs?"<\/p>\n

— Brian McNett (@b_mcnett) March 8, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n