US man charged in multi-million dollar COVID laundering scam; DOJ warns fraudsters not to treat pandemic relief money like a ‘personal piggy bank’

Regulatory Watch News

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  Financial sanctions update: Russia

  OFSI

  December 18, 2024

  On 18 December 2024 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated the UK Sanctions List on GOV.UK. This list provides details of those designated under regulations made under the Sanctions Act. The following entry has been amended under the Russia financial sanctions regime and is still subject to an asset freeze and trust services sanctions:

  • AUTEL ROBOTICS CO., LTD. (Group ID: 16643)

  OFSI’s consolidated list of asset freeze targets has been updated to reflect these changes.

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  International conflicts, hacker attacks and significant operational disruptions fill the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority’s risk picture.

  The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority

  December 18, 2024

  The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority's semi-annual risk picture shows that international conflicts and hacker attacks, which can cause significant operational disruptions and threats to critical digital infrastructure, continue to pose a significant risk to financial companies and financial stability.

  The risk picture describes the primary risks that the financial system faces, and which are the starting point for the priorities in the Danish FSA's supervision of financial institutions in 2025.

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  9 drug traffickers arrested and EUR 27 million in cryptocurrencies seized

  Europol

  December 18, 2024

  Europol has supported law enforcement authorities from six countries in taking down underground bankers who were moving and laundering the proceeds of large-scale drug trafficking and other serious crimes. Building on the findings from two major investigations, Operation GORGON and Operation WHITEWALL, this follow-up operation involved close collaboration between Europol’s experts in serious and organised crime and in financial investigations. It led to the arrest of nine suspects and the seizure of evidence (documents, mobile phones), valuables (gold, luxury goods), EUR 35 000 in cash and EUR 25 million in cryptocurrencies.