BitMEX Co-Founders Receive Trump Pardon—Crypto Industry Reacts
U.S. President Donald Trump has granted pardons to three co-founders and executives of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX. This groundbreaking development comes years after the trio pleaded guilty to financial crimes related to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).
According to a CNBC report , Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed, who co-founded digital asset firm BitMEX, were granted a presidential pardon on Friday, March 28th, 2025
As noted in our previous post, Arthur Hayes and Ben Delo pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act while at BitMEX’s helm. Each agreed to pay $10 million in penalties.
Similarly, BitMEX was found guilty of operating without the necessary compliance measures with the right authorities. The trading firm was charged for illegal financial transactions on its platform.
In addition, federal prosecutors stated that despite publicly claiming to restrict U.S. users, the exchange continued to serve them during the period it was charged for.
A US District Judge pronounced a $100 million fine on the company earlier this year, concluding the case. Likewise, the founders and executives received different sentences, including probation alongside financial penalties.
As we covered in our latest report, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes was sentenced to six months of home confinement in May 2022, along with a two-year probation. Delo and Reed also received probation as part of their penance.
With President Trump’s pardon, these BitMEX founders are now free from any legal consequences tied to their convictions.
Following the presidential pardons, reactions in the digital asset community remain contentious. For example, supporters of the BitMEX executives argue that they were unfairly targeted and that enforcing financial regulations in the cryptocurrency industry has been inconsistent.
Other community members believe the charges were necessary to uphold legal standards in digital finance.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) had maintained that BitMEX knowingly failed to comply with financial laws. Officials highlighted that the company’s lack of oversight created opportunities for illegal activities, which could have been prevented with proper policies.
The case had been closely watched within the cryptocurrency industry, as it set a precedent for how regulators handle compliance failures in digital asset exchanges.
In related news, Hawk Tuah girl Hailey Welch, popular for her connection with the controversial $HAWK token, has been cleared of wrongdoing after a lengthy investigation by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Meanwhile, Under President Donald Trump, regulatory trends around crypto have improved. As we mentioned in our previous news brief, the US SEC has dismissed its case with Ripple Labs, with the firm also closing its counter-appeal. Like Ripple, Coinbase, Uniswap, and Robinhood, among other firms, have also seen their respective legal cases closed.

Aicoin-EN-Bitcoincom
2025/03/29 05:00
DOJ Seeks Forfeiture of $23 Million in Crypto After Gotbit Guilty Plea
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed on March 27 that it is pursuing civil forfeiture of approximately $23 million in digital assets following a guilty plea from Gotbit Consulting LLC and its founder, Aleksei Andriunin. The DOJ’s move follows criminal proceedings where the Boston-based federal court accepted Gotbit’s admission of manipulating trading activity on behalf of cryptocurrency clients. The firm, which operates as a market maker in the digital asset sector, allegedly engaged in schemes to fabricate trading volumes, misleading investors about liquidity and demand.
As part of its resolution with the federal government, Gotbit agreed to surrender the crypto holdings linked to these activities. In its announcement, the DOJ stated:
The government seized USDT (tether) and USDC (circle) from un-hosted cryptocurrency wallets controlled by Gotbit Consulting LLC. Tether and circle are stablecoins, meaning their value is tied to the U.S. dollar.
The government claims the assets represent proceeds of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as property involved in unlawful transactions. These allegations are currently part of a civil forfeiture complaint and have not been adjudicated.
Andriunin, a 26-year-old dual citizen of Russia and Portugal, was arrested abroad in October 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in February 2025. Prosecutors said that between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit operated a wash trading scheme, using custom-built software and multiple accounts to simulate trading activity and manipulate token prices. Tokens such as Robo Inu and Saitama, which were among Gotbit’s clients, are now under separate investigation. As part of the plea deal, Gotbit agreed to shut down all operations and forfeit the $23 million. The DOJ stated: “Pursuant to the plea agreement with Andriunin, the government will recommend a sentence of up to two years in prison.”
免责声明:本文章仅代表作者个人观点,不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享,不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议,与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权,请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com,本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。

Cryptonews Official
2025/03/28 21:25
Scaramucci: New York’s ‘dangerously powerful’ Martin Act shouldn’t exist
Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital, says New York’s Martin Act, an anti-fraud statute enacted in 1921, should be repealed.
The SkyBridge Capital founder’s call for the abolishing of the law comes in the wake of the New York Attorney General’s $200 million settlement settlement with Galaxy Digital . And it all relates to the collapsed LUNA ( LUNA ) token.
In a post on X , Scaramucci, labelled the Martin Act as a “dangerously powerful” law whose application is likely to be abused and lead to legal overreach. The Martin Act allows the NYAG to bring lawsuits against parties deemed to have violated its stipulations, but according to Scaramucci, the sweeping authority allowed the AG in terms of investigation and penalties can be abused.
With no need to prove intent, the Act comes short. It’s “low standard of proof” is what the SkyBridge Capital founder says is dangerous. To him, this law “shouldn’t exist,” and NYAG’s use of the Act to reach the $200 million settlement with Galaxy Digital is “lawfare pure and simple.”
He added that the case and the settlement is at odds with actions taken by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice.
“This makes no sense and is completely at odds with the SEC and DOJ which have been pursuing actions against Do Kwon and Terraform,” he posted. “It’s [lawfare] pure and simple due to an obscure but dangerously powerful New York law known as the Martin Act. The law has no need to prove intent, creating a low standard of proof that can open the door for abuse like this. It shouldn’t exist.”
In its investigation, the NYAG alleged financial misconduct on the part of Galaxy Digital, claiming the firm’s marketing of LUNA eventually harmed retail. The crypto project’s collapse in May 2022 saw more than $40 billion in value vanish into thin air.
Scaramucci says Galaxy Digital and its chief executive Michael Novogratz were deceived by bad actors – Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon .
“Novogratz is a dear friend and one of the smartest investors I know. Everything he ever said about Luna was because he thought it was true based on the deception perpetrated by the real bad actors here, Do Kwon and Terraform Labs.”
Despite the sentiment on the Martin Act, Scaramucci’s remarks on Novogratz have largely been criticized on social media. Many say Galaxy Digital “was paid” to pump LUNA and it reaped huge profits as alleged in the investigation.

Cryptonews Official
2025/03/28 05:15
US government seizes crypto tied to Hamas terrorist financing
The U.S. Department of Justice has seized approximately $201,400 in cryptocurrency linked to Hamas.
This seizure was part of a terrorist financing operation that laundered over $1.5 million in virtual currency since October 2024, according to the DOJ.
According to court documents, Hamas supporters used an encrypted platform to distribute at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses for donations. The funds were laundered through exchanges and brokers before being funneled into operational wallets.
The seizure targeted assets held in accounts registered to Palestinian individuals in Turkey and other locations.
“Hamas is responsible for the deaths of many U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we will use every legal tool at our disposal to stop their campaign of terror and murder,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr.
FBI Special Agent Raul Bujanda called the seizure a crucial step in disrupting Hamas’ financial network, emphasizing that cutting off funding weakens the group’s operational capabilities.
The operation was led by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, working with the Counterterrorism and Cyber Divisions. Prosecutors from the DOJ’s National Security Division are handling the case.