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Blockchain technology is about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity, from health care to our Internet of Things devices. In this podcast, host Laura Shin talks with industry pioneers across tech, financial services, health care, government and other sectors about how the blockchain and cryptocurrency will open up new opportunities for incumbents, startups and everyday people to interact more efficiently, directly and globally.

Oct 20, 2020

Magistrate judge Zia Faruqui, and Jessi Brooks, assistant U.S. attorney in the national security section at the United States Attorney’s Office, have prosecuted several cryptocurrency-related cases, many of them amongst the most well-known. In this episode, they talk about:

  • how they came to be involved in the prosecution of so many cases involving cryptocurrency
  • the nature of civil forfeiture cases
  • the Al-Qassam Brigades case, which led to the largest ever seizure of a terrorist organization’s cryptocurrency accounts, and the terrorist organization’s use of dynamic addresses in an attempt to elude detection by authorities.
  • how Al Qaeda used Telegram to pursue cryptocurrency donations
  • the case involving ISIS and counterfeit PPE for COVID
  • the process of seizing funds from unhosted wallets
  • the North Korean affiliated Lazarus Group, and how they were able to amass $2580 million worth of cryptocurrency
  • the methods hackers will use to cash out stolen crypto funds to fiat
  • how different government agencies in the U.S., as well as in other countries, are coordinated when tackling these cases
  • the Welcome to Video case and how they went about prosecuting a person in a foreign country
  • how they’ve seen the use of cryptocurrencies by criminals evolve over time
  • and whether or not they think decentralized exchanges will make it easier for criminals and hackers to cash out

 

Thank you to our sponsor! 

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

 

Episode links: 

Jessi Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-brooks-8289ab32/

Zia’s Faruqui: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zia-faruqui-a73ba11a5/

 

Three terror-finance cybercrime cases: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns

 

The Al-Qassam Brigades case: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns

 

Scam PPE site: https://www.wired.com/story/isis-allegedly-ran-a-covid-19-ppe-scam-site/

 

Civil forfeiture complaint against North Korea-affiliated hackers, Lazarus Group: 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/united-states-files-complaint-forfeit-280-cryptocurrency-accounts-tied-hacks-two

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1310411/download

https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/lazarus-group-north-korea-doj-complaint-august-2020

 

Welcome to Video indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/south-korean-national-and-hundreds-others-charged-worldwide-takedown-largest-darknet-child

 

Dark Scandals: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/03/13/dark-deja-vu-irs-announces-charges-in-takedown-of-multi-million-dollar-child-exploitation-website-funded-by-bitcoin/#4a09b2ac28ae

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1257581/download


Jonathan Levin from Chainalysis on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-bitcoin-led-to-the-demise-of-the-largest-child-porn-site/