An indictment unsealed in Washington DC on 26 January 2026 has charged a former NATO procurement official and a Turkish defence contractor with operating a long running bribery scheme linked to US military and NATO construction contracts. The case underscores persistent corruption risks in defence procurement and the vulnerabilities created when insider access intersects with high value international contracts. According to the US Department of Justice, Bahadir Hatipoglu, a T

A former US biotech chief executive has been sentenced to prison after misleading investors about a purported breakthrough drug and selling his own shares at inflated prices. On 26 January 2026, Nader Pourhassan, the former Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, received a 30 month prison sentence for securities fraud, wire fraud and insider trading, marking another high profile enforcement action against corporate executives who abuse market trust. Pourhassan, aged 62, was conv

A former Commissioner of the US Virgin Islands Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation has been sentenced to five years in prison for orchestrating a bribery scheme linked to a government procurement contract valued at $1.43 million. The case underscores ongoing vulnerabilities in public sector contracting and the importance of robust anti-corruption controls. Calvert White, formerly responsible for overseeing Sports, Parks, and Recreation, solicited and accepted a bribe

The transfer of 37 Mexican nationals from Mexico to the United States on 21 January 2026 represents a significant escalation in the United States’ approach to cartel-linked organised crime, narcoterrorism and financial crime enforcement. It is the largest use to date of Mexico’s National Security Law to expel fugitives, and only the third time the mechanism has been invoked. The scale, profile and charges involved signal a decisive shift from traditional drug trafficking pros

A Delhi-based businessman has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison by a US court for conspiring to illegally export controlled aviation components from Oregon to Russia, underscoring the continued convergence of export controls, sanctions enforcement and national security priorities. Sanjay Kaushik, 58, was sentenced in Portland, Oregon on 16 January 2026, alongside 36 months of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy under the Export Control Reform A

US authorities have charged a key figure in a Chinese-linked money laundering network accused of laundering tens of millions of dollars in drug trafficking proceeds through sophisticated mirror transaction schemes. The case underscores the central role of professional laundering networks in sustaining the global fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine trade. Yan Lin, 41, of California, appeared in federal court in Cincinnati on 8 January 2026 following the unsealing of an indic

A federal jury in Sherman, Texas has convicted LaShonda Moore and Marlon Moore of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering for operating a large scale illegal pyramid scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. The convictions underscore how fraudsters exploited economic distress, digital platforms and community trust at a time of heightened vulnerability across the United States. The scheme, known as Blessings in No Time or BINT, operated between June 2020 and June 2021 and targ

A former TD Bank employee has pleaded guilty to facilitating one of the largest insider-enabled money laundering schemes prosecuted in recent years, exposing serious weaknesses in frontline controls, insider risk management and transaction reporting frameworks at large retail banks. On 6 January 2026, Wilfredo Aquino, a former assistant store manager at TD Bank N A, admitted to conspiring to launder monetary instruments while employed at the bank. Between 2019 and February 20

The Justice Department has announced the seizure of tickmilleas.com , a fraudulent web domain linked to the Tai Chang scam compound in Kyaukhat, Burma. The site posed as a legitimate cryptocurrency investment platform and was used to lure victims into depositing their funds, which were then diverted through sophisticated fraud and money laundering schemes. The action forms part of the accelerating crackdown on cryptocurrency investment fraud, a threat that continues to genera

The sentencing of Colombian national Michael Nunez Daza highlights the continuing threat posed by sophisticated transnational money laundering networks that exploit U S banks to clean drug trafficking proceeds. As the leader of a long-running organisation spanning Colombia, Mexico and the United States, Nunez Daza relied on bulk cash pickups, third-party bank accounts and rapid cross-border fund transfers to disguise the origin of illicit proceeds and repatriate value to cart

The guilty plea of Mississippi businessman Willie De Gibbs highlights yet another major fraud operation exploiting weaknesses in Medicare oversight and the wider US health care reimbursement system. Gibbs admitted to orchestrating a $19 million scheme centred on the purchase of fraudulent doctors’ orders and the systematic billing of medically unnecessary orthotic braces through seven durable medical equipment (DME) companies. By operating through both personally owned entiti

The indictment of South Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus McCormick presents a significant financial crime case involving the alleged theft of $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds. Prosecutors claim the congresswoman and several co defendants engaged in a multi layered scheme involving fraud, money laundering, and illegal campaign contributions, all linked to Covid 19 emergency funding. The allegations highlight the ongoing risks of financial crime within public sect