Former Nodus International Bank chief executive Tomás Niembro Concha has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, in a case that combines insider bank abuse with Venezuela sanctions evasion. The plea, announced on 20 March 2026, centres on conduct that prosecutors say helped drain at least $24.9 million from the Puerto Rican bank and contributed to its collapse in 2023. The case is significant

US authorities have unsealed an indictment against three men accused of conspiring to divert advanced artificial intelligence server technology from the United States to China in breach of export control laws. Announced on 19 March 2026, the case centres on allegations that high performance servers containing controlled AI graphics processing units were routed through Taiwan and Southeast Asia before reaching Chinese customers, with prosecutors claiming the operation was supp

The US Department of Justice has used the Balt SAS case to send a dual message on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement. Companies that voluntarily self-disclose, cooperate fully and remediate quickly may secure a declination, but individuals tied to the same conduct remain firmly in prosecutors’ sights. That combination makes this a notable development for healthcare, life sciences and other internationally exposed sectors. Balt SAS, a France-headquartered medical device

The United States has filed civil forfeiture complaints seeking the seizure of more than $15.3 million allegedly linked to an illicit Iranian oil shipping and distribution network operating in violation of US sanctions. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges the funds were used to support a sanctions evasion scheme tied to Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including the IRGC-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), both designated Fore

Authorities in the United States and across Europe have dismantled LeakBase, one of the world’s largest online forums used by cybercriminals to trade stolen data, account credentials and hacking tools. The takedown followed a coordinated operation involving law enforcement agencies from 14 countries and represents another significant disruption of the global cybercrime ecosystem. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), LeakBase operated as a major hub for cybercriminal

Takeshi Ebisawa, a Japanese national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United States for his role in an international criminal conspiracy involving nuclear materials trafficking, narcotics distribution, firearms dealing and money laundering. The sentencing was handed down by US District Judge Colleen McMahon in the Southern District of New York after Ebisawa pleaded guilty to six charges related to the scheme. The case centred on an extensive criminal network s

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking the seizure of a crude oil tanker and approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil allegedly connected to sanctions evasion involving Iran and Venezuela. The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, targets the motor tanker Skipper , which was seized on the high seas in December 2025. Authorities also seek forfeiture of the cargo on board, consisting of crude oil suppl

The conviction of former Corsa Coal Corporation vice president Charles Hunter Hobson marks a significant Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement outcome for the Department of Justice (DoJ), reinforcing the risks facing senior executives engaged in overseas sales involving state-linked counterparties. The case centred on nearly $140 million in coal supply contracts with Egypt’s Al Nasr Company for Coke and Chemicals, a state-owned and state-controlled enterprise, and

A newly unsealed indictment in the District of Vermont has exposed the operational mechanics of a transnational human smuggling and money laundering scheme that exploited the US-Canada border and the US financial system. The case underscores the growing convergence between organised immigration crime, encrypted communications and transactional laundering activity. Francisco Antonio Luna Rosado, a Dominican national unlawfully present in the United States, and Jesus Hernandez

The sentencing of Paxful Holdings Inc marks one of the clearest judicial warnings yet to virtual asset trading platforms that anti-money laundering failures will be treated as criminal conduct, not regulatory oversight. On 11 February 2026, the US Department of Justice confirmed that the peer-to-peer crypto platform was ordered to pay a $4 million criminal penalty after pleading guilty to conspiring to violate the Travel Act, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and operating an unlic

The sentencing of Daren Li to the statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment marks a significant escalation in the United States’ crackdown on global cryptocurrency investment fraud and associated money laundering networks. The case underscores the scale, sophistication and transnational reach of scam centre operations operating from Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, and highlights the growing convergence between romance fraud, cyber-enabled deception and crypto asset l

A Nigerian national has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated multimillion-dollar inheritance fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims across the United States. The case highlights the continued threat posed by transnational advance fee fraud networks and the importance of coordinated international enforcement action. Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, 44, was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years o