Two federal indictments were unsealed in the District of Columbia charging a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative for his role in separate money laundering conspiracies designed to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through the use of cryptocurrency.

According to court documents, Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), 39, is charged with allegedly conspiring with over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea and for conspiring with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at blockchain development companies in the United States.

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FAJARDO, Puerto Rico— US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), intercepted Wednesday a vessel transporting 1,455 Pounds (660 Kilograms) of cocaine and arresting four non-citizens from the Dominican Republic north of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The estimated value of the contraband is approximately $15.1 million.

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SWANTON, Vt. – U.S. Border Patrol's (BP) Swanton Sector recorded 367 apprehensions and encounters during January of fiscal year 2023 (FY23.) Despite area temperatures reaching -4 degrees Fahrenheit, January's total surpassed the preceding January apprehensions for the past 12 years combined (Total: 344.) Prior to January, Swanton Sector experienced an uninterrupted 7-month streak of sustained encounter increases—part of an upward trend dating back to the beginning of FY22.

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is asking Ronald S. Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security, and William K. Lietzau, Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, to provide information on the classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. The letter comes as the White House confirms that classified documents were also found in the garage of President Biden’s Wilmington residence.

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Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas’ud), 71, of Tunisia and Libya, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges, unsealed today, stemming from the Dec. 21, 1988, civilian aircraft bombing that killed 270 people. The victims included 190 Americans, 43 citizens of the United Kingdom, including 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland, and citizens from the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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Two Estonian citizens were arrested in Tallinn, Estonia, yesterday on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, both 37, allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of victims through a multi-faceted scheme. They induced victims to enter into fraudulent equipment rental contracts with the defendants’ cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare.   more...