US DOJ to combat crypto crime with a bigger team

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning to strengthen its team responsible for investigating crimes related to cryptocurrencies with more prosecutors. The unit will also have a new leader, with Claudia Queiroz replacing Yoon Young Choi.

The team has played a leading role in several DOJ crypto cases, such as the charges against Bitzlato and the Binance investigation.

Taking NCET to the ‘Next Level’

DOJ exposure This will more than double the number of prosecutors working for the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) to prevent crimes involving digital assets in the future.

The unit would also become a permanent fixture of a section within the Department’s Criminal Division focused on various computer-related investigations.

Senior Justice Department official Nicole Argentieri revealed that Claudia Queiroz will serve as the new leader of NCET, raising hopes that the revisions will take the team “to the next level”.

“Merging it into (Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section) will give it the resources and runway to achieve even more,” he said.

The DOJ established the NCET in 2021 amid concerns that criminals, terrorists and other wrongdoers may be using cryptocurrencies in their illegal activities. Department doubled up Upon his efforts in September 2022, a unit of federal prosecutors called “The Digital Asset Coordinators Network” was established.

Interestingly, two months later, the crypto community witnessed the destruction of FTX: many saw it as one of the biggest scams in the history of the industry.

Ari Radbord – a former federal prosecutor who works at blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs – believes the DOJ has realized that “we have moved into a digital battlefield, where wars are fought on the blockchain.”

“The reality is that if this is really the future, every prosecutor, every investigator, is going to need to understand these cases,” he concluded.

DOJ’s latest action on the crypto landscape

The Justice Department hit headlines in January this year when it Arrested Founder of crypto exchange Bitzlato – Anatoly Legkodimov. The department claimed that the platform had links to the dark web and promoted ransomware attacks.

some media outlets informed Earlier this month, the DOJ targeted Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) over alleged money-laundering operations. Sources have also claimed that this investigation has caused a crisis among the world’s largest cryptocurrency, which has led to the sacking of several employees.

CZ remained unfazed by the speculation, saying it was FUD about the departure. He Confirmed Some team members have indeed left the company, but the reasons were not the ones dreamed up in the “news”.