Westminster, MD
News
Marylanders Invested $15M Into Unregistered Crypto-Lending Platform Nexo, AG Says Marylanders Invested $15M Into Unregistered Crypto-Lending Platform Nexo, AG Says
Marylanders Invested $15M Into Unregistered Crypto-Lending Platform Nexo, AG Says The Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Securities Division is the latest to file a cease and desist order against a cryptocurrency account provider who allegedly violated state law. Nexo Group and its co-founder Antoni Trenchev violated the law “with the offer and sale of Nexo’s Earn Interest Product (EIP) accounts," Attorney General Brian Frosh and Attorneys General from seven other states said. More than 93,300 US residents have EIP accounts with Nexo Group, investigators noted, of which, more than 1,800 were from Maryland. Those accounts collectively hold assets totaling…

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by Zak Failla
Quincy, MA
Police & Fire
Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ
Men Who Ran Dark Web Drug Site From Stoughton Sentenced To Prison: DOJ A 25-year-old Brockton man who helped create and run a Dark Web drug ring was sentenced to more than two years in prison, federal authorities said.  Allante Pires pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, Ketamine, and Alprazolam (Xanax), the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He will spend 28 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and must forfeit a 2013 Mercedes E sedan that investigators say he bought using drug money. Though, prosecutors wanted a far harsher penalty of 70 months…

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by Josh Lanier
Fairfield, CT
Police & Fire
Don't Fall For Them: Police In Connecticut Issue Alert About These Scams Don't Fall For Them: Police In Connecticut Issue Alert About These Scams
Don't Fall For Them: Police In Connecticut Issue Alert About These Scams Connecticut State Police issued an alert to residents about common cryptocurrency scams. Police shared the alert on Tuesday, Aug. 30, saying scammers often use texts, phone calls, or emails to lure victims to cryptocurrency ATMs, web-based investment sites or exchange platforms to get them to convert dollars into cryptocurrency. "A victim is often led to believe that their bank account or investments are under attack," police said. "The victim is then prompted to convert those assets to cryptocurrency and send them to a 'secure' account, which is controlled by the scammer." Police said sca…

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by Nicole Valinote
Dorchester, MA
News
Former Revere Man Stole $2.5 Million In Covid-19 Relief Money: Feds Former Revere Man Stole $2.5 Million In Covid-19 Relief Money: Feds
Former Revere Man Stole $2.5 Million In Covid-19 Relief Money: Feds A 34-year-old former Revere man stole $2.5 million in federal Covid-19 relief funds, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Tuesday, Aug. 23.  Vinicius Santana, 34, of Boca Raton, Florida, was charged with wire fraud and unlawful money transactions, the federal prosecutor's office said.  Officials said Santana owned the Massachusetts-based painting company Complete Home Care, LLC and applied for Paycheck Protection Program loans four times. Federal pursers denied the first three applications where he claimed to have five employees and between $10,000 and $18,000 in month payroll …

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by Josh Lanier
Hamilton Township, NJ
News
Wall Street Investor With NJ Tie Predicts Economic Downfall Wall Street Investor With NJ Tie Predicts Economic Downfall
Wall Street Investor With NJ Tie Predicts Economic Downfall A Virginia-raised investor with a tie to New Jersey is going viral for his recent prediction on the status of the economy. “The economy is going to collapse,” Novogratz said in a Wednesday, June 15 interview with MarketWatch. “We are going to go into a really fast recession, and you can see that in lots of ways.” The Princeton University graduate's remarks came shortly before the Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.75 percent in an attempt to reduce inflation without going into a recession. Novogratz, CEO of cryptocurrency investment firm Galaxy Digital, cited layoffs in …

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by Nicole Acosta
Massapequa, NY
News
NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme
NY CEO Charged In $59M Cryptocurrency Scheme A CEO from New York is facing charges for his role in a $59 million cryptocurrency scheme where he touted phony technology to garner additional funding, federal officials announced.  Long Island resident Eddy Alexandre, age 50, of Valley Stream, the leader of a purported cryptocurrency and forex trading platform called EminiFX, has been charged with commodities fraud and wire fraud offenses, according to US Attorney Damian Williams. It is alleged that Alexandre solicited more than $59 million in investments from hundreds of individual investors after making false representations in con…

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by Zak Failla
Amherst, MA
Police & Fire
Northampton Police Warn Of Email Scam Northampton Police Warn Of Email Scam
Northampton Police Warn Of Email Scam An alert has been issued by law enforcement agencies in Western Massachusetts regarding a cryptocurrency scam that has been making the rounds in the region. In Hampshire County, police in Northampton issued a notice to the community advising of a scam involving currency accounts that have been hacked by fraudsters. According to the Northampton Police Department, users have been instructed to be cautious if they receive any emails saying that an account was compromised which include potentially harmful links. Police did not note if any cryptocurrency accounts have been compromised. “Do not…

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by Zak Failla
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock, NJ
News
NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive' NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive'
NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive' It's heartbreaking to learn that someone you've become enamored with online isn't into you, but it's downright tragic to discover that person just made off with $450,000 of your money. That's right: A con artist collected nearly a half-million dollars in crypto from a Glen Rock, NJ resident who fell for an online romance scam. You could call it missed fortune. The victim met the imposter on Luxy, a dating app for millionaires -- and those looking to meet them -- that boasts of collecting "the most attractive and financially stable of dating applicants." Or, as the founders of the Hon…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Poughkeepsie, NY
News
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam
Hudson Valley Man Among Four Charged In $40M Scam A Hudson Valley man was among four charged in an 11-count indictment for allegedly stealing more than $40 million in investor funds as part of a cryptocurrency scam, federal authorities announced. On Tuesday, March 8, US Attorney Breon Peace announced that four owners and operators of online cryptocurrency companies - including one from Dutchess County - are facing a host of charges for allegedly running a sophisticated scheme to steal from investors and later attempting to obstruct justice as they were being investigated. Those charged, according to the US Attorney’s Office: Gregory Agg…

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by Zak Failla
Windham-Willimantic, CT
News
CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced
CT Man Who Downloaded Child Sex Abuse Images Sentenced A Connecticut man who admitted to possessing child pornography will largely avoid time behind bars after being sentenced in Hartford District Court. Windham County resident Shayne Shayer, age 40, of Thompson, was sentenced to one day in prison, time already served, and 10 years of supervised release for downloading child sex abuse videos from the dark web, federal prosecutors announced. According to court documents, a Homeland Security investigation that was launched by law enforcement in Europe, determined that in January 2018, Shayer used cryptocurrency to access a dark web server and dow…

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by Zak Failla
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock, NJ
News
LOOKIN' FOR LOVE: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others LOOKIN' FOR LOVE: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others
Lookin' FOR Love: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others A Glen Rock detective was in for a surprise when he traced an online scam that victimized a local man to a woman in Washington State. It turns out that person got scammed herself. Before he was done, Glen Rock Police Detective Sgt. James Calaski found three other victims who got taken by a money launderer who lives in Africa, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. All of them were apparently looking for love. The con man had developed a virtual relationship with the 65-year-old Washington State woman, convincing her that he was a contractor flipping houses in Texas, Ackermann said. He the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Glen Burnie, MD
News
Navy Engineer, Wife Admit Trying To Sell American Submarine Secrets For Cryptocurrency: Feds Navy Engineer, Wife Admit Trying To Sell American Submarine Secrets For Cryptocurrency: Feds
Navy Engineer, Wife Admit Trying To Sell American Submarine Secrets For Cryptocurrency: Feds The wife of a former Navy engineer from Maryland has also admitted in federal court that she helped him try to sell some of America’s best kept submarine secrets to a foreign country in exchange for cryptocurrency. Diana Toebbe, 46, of Annapolis, served as a lookout while her husband, Jonathan Toebbe, 43, serviced three “dead-drops," which were picked up by undercover FBI agents during a year-long sting operation, federal prosecutors said Friday. Diana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to communicate Restricted Data — four days after her husband admitted to the same. The Toebbes were …

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by Cecilia Levine