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Public Record Case File · Updated Aug 4, 2026

Cryptocurrency Fraud Enforcement

Accountability file

A public-record case file for United States federal cryptocurrency-fraud enforcement from 2023 through 2026, covering DOJ criminal prosecutions, SEC and CFTC civil enforcement, crypto-exchange enforcement, and digital-asset seizure and forfeiture actions. It keeps criminal convictions, civil settlements, dismissals, and charging-stage allegations separate, and records a charge as an allegation until a plea, verdict, or judgment appears in a cited primary source.

Public RecordOpen File46815C86
Updated
Aug 4, 2026
Source Anchors
18 verified
Timeline
17 events
Roles
13 public-record
Fingerprint
4681 5C86 A6E3
Submit sourceData exports →
Connection map

How the public record connects

Graph JSON

This shows the case file's most significant public-record connections only — see the Role Web and Timeline tabs for the full set. A line means a record connects two points; it is not a finding about conduct.

Publishing limits

These are the standards every anchor on this file must clear.

Minimum source tier
  • official record
  • court docket
  • civil enforcement record
Living people
For named defendants, executives, or officials, publish only source-backed public roles and exact record relationships; keep charges labeled as allegations until a plea, verdict, or judgment is documented, and never infer intent or guilt from an appearance in a record.
Victim protection
Do not publish victim identities, personal financial details, individual wallet addresses, or nonpublic investigative material; describe victim losses only in the aggregate terms stated in the public record.
Social leads
Social posts, press coverage, and analytics-firm blog posts can start a lead, but enforcement-level copy requires a DOJ, SEC, CFTC, or court record naming the matter.

No guilt by proximity

A person, company, exchange, token, or wallet appearing in the same enforcement action, indictment, or forfeiture record is context only and does not prove that a specific individual was charged, convicted, or is culpable.

Filed
Hugin · public social evidence reports
License
Text and data are shared under the terms noted at hugin.studio/support · attribution appreciated.
Fingerprint
4681 5C86 A6E3
For researchers & contributorsSource desk, research joins & machine-readable exportsEverything Hugin uses to grow and audit this file — connection detail, review posture, scout queue, and every export.
Connection map

How the public record is joined

Graph JSON
timeline backed17
source links17
role links32
open queues2
Source groups
10 sourcesofficial record10 linked recordsSamuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison / United States v. Binance Holdings Limited (DOJ case page) / Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)
7 sourcescivil enforcement record7 linked recordsFederal Court Enters Order Against Binance and Former CEO Zhao (CFTC Release 8837-23) / Terraform and Kwon to Pay $4.5 Billion Following Fraud Verdict (SEC 2024-73) / CFTC Resolves Action Against Celsius Founder (Release 9256-26)
Timeline joins
Jun 6, 2023 / officialSEC charges Coinbase (civil)1 linked recordCivil allegations only; this action was later dismissed in 2025 with no liability finding.
Nov 21, 2023 / officialBinance and Zhao plead guilty; $4.3B DOJ resolution1 linked recordThe pleas concern AML, sanctions, and registration failures, not customer fraud.
Role joins
convicted defendantSamuel Bankman-Fried2 linked recordsConvicted after a jury trial; post-trial and appellate proceedings are separate from the sentencing record cited here.
convicted defendantChangpeng Zhao4 linked recordsHis plea was to a single BSA/AML program failure, not to defrauding customers. The October 21, 2025 pardon is executive clemency: it does not vacate the conviction or withdraw the guilty plea, and it is not a finding of innocence. The warrant names only the criminal case, United States v. Zhao, 23CR00179RAJ-001; it does not mention the separate CFTC civil consent order.

Connections are navigation aids. They show where a record, event, or role is sourced; they do not convert association, correspondence, testimony requests, or document appearance into misconduct findings.

Source desk

Scout queue before promotion

Promotion readinessSource scout JSONScout summaryScout CSVScout JSONLScout MarkdownConnector matrixMatrix MarkdownPacket JSONPacket Markdown
verified anchors18
timeline events17
research queues6
No hand-tuned source desk on this case yet, so no lead or probe queue is counted for it.
scout targets16
first-pass scout14
credential queue2
connectors16
keyless APIs6
free-key targets2
public search8
official pages0
POST templates0
CourtListener Search API / keyless apiGDELT DOC API / keyless apiFederal Register API / keyless apiGovInfo public document search / public searchRegulations.gov public search / public searcheCFR public search / public searchDOJ News API / keyless apiFOIA.gov government website search / public searchFBI Vault search / public searchNational Archives Catalog API / free key requiredData.gov CKAN catalog API / free key requiredCongress.gov public search / public search

Default public-record source desk for cases without a hand-tuned scout profile.

Source lanespublic-record-discovery
Sharing stateautomatic sharing disabled
Next actionAdd source receipts to the review queue before promoting case claims or social copy.
keyless apiCourtListener Search APIpublic-record source deltasLegal search across opinions, dockets, RECAP data, judges, and arguments.
keyless apiGDELT DOC APIpublic-record source deltasCoverage-index discovery for fresh public reporting rows.
keyless apiFederal Register APIpublic-record source deltasOfficial rule, notice, and agency-document discovery.
public searchGovInfo public document searchpublic-record source deltasFree public search across official publications from all three branches of the U.S. federal government.
public-record source deltas

Source leads and automated probes are review inventory. They become verified anchors only after Hugin can attach the public record, legal posture, and no-allegation guardrails.

Join board

Public-record joins are wired into exports

These are not loose TODOs anymore. Each lane below is computed from the case file's source tiers, then joined to matching sources, timeline events, role nodes, and release-roadmap requests.

Source atlasReview queueRelease board
wired lanes4
review lanes2
source joins40
release joins0
Wired lanes4Computed from the source tiers and joined to live records, roles, and releases.
WiredLog 2026 DOJ crypto seizure and forfeiture milestones
10 sources

Add anchors for the Huione Group backend-infrastructure seizure (DOJ OPA No. 26-684, 2026-06-23) and the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force $580M milestone (USAO-DC, 2026-02-26), both already URL-verified.

timeline8
roles9
release asks0
Matched records
Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prisonofficial record / U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (DOJ)United States v. Binance Holdings Limited (DOJ case page)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal DivisionClemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon AttorneyExecutive Grant of Clemency - Changpeng Zhao (signed warrant)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedChangpeng ZhaoBinance Holdings Limited
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesSeizure amounts, dates, agencies, and stated FinCEN or Operation Riptide context.
BlockedNaming uncharged individuals or asserting victim recovery that has not been ordered.
Graph edgesSource checks
WiredDocument the exact terms of the Coinbase dismissal
8 sources

Retrieve the stipulation of dismissal linked from the SEC release to confirm with- or without-prejudice status, keeping the no-merits-finding framing.

timeline9
roles10
release asks0
Matched records
United States v. Bankman-Fried, 1:22-cr-00673 (docket)court docket / CourtListener / Free Law Project (RECAP mirror of PACER)Federal Court Enters Order Against Binance and Former CEO Zhao (CFTC Release 8837-23)civil enforcement record / U.S. Commodity Futures Trading CommissionTerraform and Kwon to Pay $4.5 Billion Following Fraud Verdict (SEC 2024-73)civil enforcement record / U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionCFTC Resolves Action Against Celsius Founder (Release 9256-26)civil enforcement record / U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedChangpeng ZhaoBinance Holdings Limited
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesProcedural posture and dismissal terms.
BlockedImplying either wrongdoing or exoneration from the dismissal.
Graph edgesSource checks
WiredMine the DOJ 2016 Bitfinex Hack case repository
1 source

Extract docket 23-CR-239 details, the Heather Morgan sentencing outcome, and rulings by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly from the already-URL-verified DOJ case page.

timeline0
roles2
release asks0
Matched records
United States v. Bankman-Fried, 1:22-cr-00673 (docket)court docket / CourtListener / Free Law Project (RECAP mirror of PACER)
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedU.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesDocket entries, statutes charged (18 U.S.C. 1956(h), 371), and scheduled or entered outcomes.
BlockedAsserting the 2016 seizure dollar value without a primary source that states it.
Graph edgesSource checks
WiredPull primary court dockets for the exchange matters
1 source

Retrieve full docket sheets and key filings from CourtListener and RECAP, starting with the verified FTX docket 66631291 (1:22-cr-00673), and locate the Binance and Coinbase civil dockets.

timeline0
roles2
release asks0
Matched records
United States v. Bankman-Fried, 1:22-cr-00673 (docket)court docket / CourtListener / Free Law Project (RECAP mirror of PACER)
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedU.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesDocket numbers, filing dates, and entered judgments or dispositions.
BlockedRestating unproven complaint allegations as established facts.
Graph edgesSource checks
Needs review2Sources have landed but the lane is not promoted to wired yet.
Needs reviewTrack court-ordered victim distributions
10 sources

Locate bankruptcy-court and forfeiture distribution orders (S.D.N.Y., D. Del., D.D.C.) before stating any recovery figures for FTX, Terraform, Celsius, or the forfeiture funds.

timeline8
roles9
release asks0
Matched records
Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prisonofficial record / U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (DOJ)United States v. Binance Holdings Limited (DOJ case page)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal DivisionClemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon AttorneyExecutive Grant of Clemency - Changpeng Zhao (signed warrant)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedChangpeng ZhaoBinance Holdings Limited
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesDistribution amounts and dates when set by a court order.
BlockedProjecting or estimating recoveries not yet ordered.
Graph edgesSource checks
Needs reviewConfirm the reported pardon of Changpeng Zhao via a primary record
10 sources

Locate a White House proclamation or DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney record; treat news reports as secondary until then.

timeline8
roles9
release asks0
Matched records
Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prisonofficial record / U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (DOJ)United States v. Binance Holdings Limited (DOJ case page)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal DivisionClemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon AttorneyExecutive Grant of Clemency - Changpeng Zhao (signed warrant)official record / U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney
Connected roles
Samuel Bankman-FriedChangpeng ZhaoBinance Holdings Limited
Release requests
No release request is attached to this lane yet.
PublishesPardon date and scope only if primary-sourced.
BlockedAsserting the pardon as fact based on news coverage alone.
Graph edgesSource checks
Public utility

Help grow the source queue

Hugin accepts public records, not accusations. A submitted URL lands in a review lane, gets source-validated, and only becomes a case anchor after the evidence rules and privacy gates are satisfied.

Submit sourcePublic queue
Review posture

What this case can prove right now

Fact-check desk
publishable claims17
source repair0
known anchors18
lead quarantine0
scout targets16
first-pass scout14
credential queue2
scout connectors16
rankmedium91 priority score
readyReady for first-pass public review17 publishable claim rows / 18 source anchors / 14 first-pass source rows
actions6 start-here rows9 total workbench action rows
blockers1 launch checks2 source-scout rows require free operator keys
start-here / hash-bundle-firstOpen verification packet MarkdownCombines claims, source anchors, first-pass rows, and hashes before any launch copy is written.start-here / claim-text-before-copyReview claim ledger MarkdownShows which timeline-derived claims are publishable and which still need source repair.start-here / claim-to-source-before-shareAudit claim-source matrix MarkdownJoins each claim row to its exact source anchor, source tier, publisher, and review warning before quoting.next / anchor-row-before-quoteReview source anchors MarkdownShows the flat public-record anchor rows, publishers, extracted facts, and timeline links used by the case.next / lead-before-anchorRun first-pass source-scout rowsSurfaces credentialless/keyless review rows before credential and POST-template queues.next / connector-family-before-scale-claimAudit source-scout connector matrixShows connector-family coverage, access classes, case coverage, and credential gates before citing source-desk scale.
review feedCase workbench JSONRanked launch-readiness actions for this case.review feedCase workbench MarkdownReadable start-here handoff for case review.review feedClaim ledger JSONEvidence-status rows derived from the case timeline.review feedClaim ledger MarkdownReadable review queue for source-backed claims.review feedSource validationPromotion, dedupe, and quarantine checks.review feedVerification packet JSONComplete case-scoped packet for source review and fact checks.review feedVerification packet MarkdownReadable handoff for public review and launch notes.review feedSource scout summaryFirst-pass, credential, and manual POST queue split.review feedSource scout CSVConnector targets still waiting for review.review feedSource scout JSONLLine-delimited scout rows for audits and imports.review feedSource scout MarkdownReadable source-scout handoff for manual review.review feedConnector matrix JSONCase-scoped connector-family coverage, access classes, and credential gates.review feedConnector matrix MarkdownReadable connector-family audit before citing source-desk scale.review feedFact-check deskGlobal civic review posture and verification URLs.

Fact-check status is a review posture, not a verdict. Source-scout rows are leads until a reviewer joins them to publishable anchors; claim-ledger rows are timeline-derived and still require source validation plus no-allegation guardrails before promotion.

Source intake

Queue a public record

Public queue

Paste an official or public-record URL. Hugin classifies the lane first, keeps lead-only material quarantined, and requires source validation before anything reaches the case file.

Use an official or public-record page. Local, private, leaked, or credentialed URLs are rejected.
Queue a public source for review.
Visible queue

Latest submitted public URLs

Sanitized queue view: Hugin shows the public URL, lane, status, and why a source has not been promoted. Submitter identifiers are not shown.

Queue JSONMarkdownChange ledger
Public queue loaded.Live queue connectedQueue hash 437860b2271e
No public submissions in this snapshot.When someone submits a source, this board will show the URL, lane, status, hold reason, and next review step before anything can become part of the case file.
known sources18
publishable anchors18
atlas sources27
keyless feeds23
release asks7
document jobs18
privacy triage1
lead quarantine0
01Submit URLPublic URL, label, and context enter the source queue.
02Classify laneOfficial, court, legislative, civil, state, repository, or lead quarantine.
03Validate sourcePublisher, date, scope, privacy, and duplicate checks run before promotion.
04Promote anchorOnly source-backed, privacy-cleared records can join timeline or role surfaces.
Contribution guide

Submit sources, not claims

A source is a public URL someone else can inspect. A claim is an interpretation. Hugin queues sources first and keeps claims out until a reviewed public record supports the exact wording.

Accepted

Official agency pages, court dockets, congressional releases, civil records, state updates, and public repositories with source URLs.

Publisher, date, record family, and why the URL belongs in this file.

Source URLs first. Context is welcome, but claims do not publish from submissions alone.

Not accepted

Private tips, survivor identifiers, sealed or leaked material, graphic details, and private contact data.

Screenshots or social posts without a public source URL.

Misconduct labels for living people unless the exact cited public record supports that exact statement.

What changed

Case change ledger

Audit feed for source anchors, queue decisions, privacy-review jobs, and hashes. It explains the process without turning leads into claims.

Ledger JSONMarkdown
Change ledger loaded.Ledger hash 735f829bdd61Case hash 46815c86a6e3
Sep 5, 2026document privacy review

United States v. Bankman-Fried, 1:22-cr-00673 (docket)

Status
needs human privacy review
Evidence state
metadata only
Lane
privacy triage

Extract document index and source metadata first.

Next: Metadata extraction includes publisher, URL, document family, and date.ac0d485baa23
Sep 5, 2026hash snapshot

Case file hash snapshot

Status
hash changed when case bundle changes
Evidence state
metadata only

Mirrors can compare this hash to verify the same case file bundle.

Next: Compare the short hash in the UI with this machine-readable ledger.46815c86a6e3
Sep 5, 2026hash snapshot

Document manifest hash snapshot

Status
hash changed when document handling changes
Evidence state
metadata only

This binds document mirroring and privacy-triage rules.

Next: Compare the short hash in the UI with this machine-readable ledger.7469259b2aa3
Sep 5, 2026hash snapshot

Document review queue hash snapshot

Status
hash changed when document jobs change
Evidence state
metadata only

This binds privacy-review and metadata extraction jobs.

Next: Compare the short hash in the UI with this machine-readable ledger.09138a0cc360
Sep 5, 2026hash snapshot

Source validation hash snapshot

Status
hash changed when queue or validation rules change
Evidence state
metadata only

This binds the visible queue decisions to a machine-readable report.

Next: Compare the short hash in the UI with this machine-readable ledger.52331eb118d2
Sep 5, 2026hash snapshot

Submission queue hash snapshot

Status
hash changed when public queue rows change
Evidence state
metadata only

This changes when sanitized submission rows change.

Next: Compare the short hash in the UI with this machine-readable ledger.437860b2271e
Aug 4, 2026source added

SEC Litigation Release 26599 — Blazar Token consent judgment

Status
source anchor in case file
Evidence state
case anchor
Lane
civil enforcement record

A consent judgment resolves civil claims without trial; the complaint's account remains allegations, and the figures quoted are the release's own.

Next: Keep source-linked timeline and role claims limited to the extracted facts.58535005f0d0
Aug 3, 2026source added

SEC Litigation Release 26598 — Gotbit wash-trading settlement

Status
source anchor in case file
Evidence state
case anchor
Lane
civil enforcement record

A proposed final judgment awaits court entry; the civil claims it settles are allegations. The guilty plea and sentence recorded in the parallel criminal case are the adjudicated portion, and only that portion may be described as established.

Next: Keep source-linked timeline and role claims limited to the extracted facts.5fc24a163218
Jul 16, 2026source added

Two Key Members of Chinese Money Laundering Network Charged with Laundering $43 Million in Investment Fraud Proceeds

Status
source anchor in case file
Evidence state
case anchor
Lane
official record

Proves that an indictment was unsealed and what it alleges; charging-stage allegations only, and the release states the presumption of innocence. The body identifies the Eastern District of New York, while a page component tag lists SDNY, an apparent tagging inconsistency; the EDNY venue is stated in the text.

Next: Keep source-linked timeline and role claims limited to the extracted facts.939ce7684726
Jul 9, 2026source added

Man Serving Federal Prison Sentence Charged with Theft of Forfeited Cryptocurrency

Status
source anchor in case file
Evidence state
case anchor
Lane
official record

Proves that charges were filed and what is alleged; these are unproven allegations at the charging stage, and the release itself states the presumption of innocence.

Next: Keep source-linked timeline and role claims limited to the extracted facts.7d9dbfbb1c62
Safety posture

Locked to public records and bounded intake

Post throttleSource intake is DB-rate-limited to 6 submissions per minute per network key before a record is written.
Public URL onlyLocalhost, private networks, URL credentials, unsupported protocols, malformed URLs, and overlong fields are rejected.
No paid callsThe data export links render deterministic public-record payloads. They do not call LLMs or paid upstream APIs.
Identity minimizedSubmitter material is converted to a server-side HMAC hash, and the public queue does not return raw IPs or user agents.
Official-source wiring

Ready lanes to cook down

Full atlas
ready keylessSDNY Epstein and Maxwell case records3 matched anchors / keylessRun sdny-epstein-maxwell-case-records-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 3 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.ready keylessEleventh Circuit Epstein CVRA opinions0 matched anchors / keylessRun ca11-epstein-cvra-opinions-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 0 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.ready keylessSecond Circuit Maxwell appeal opinions0 matched anchors / keylessRun ca2-maxwell-appeal-opinions-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 0 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.ready keylessCongress.gov Epstein Files Transparency Act bill record0 matched anchors / keylessRun congress-gov-epstein-files-transparency-act-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 0 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.ready keylessDOJ Epstein EFTA Congress reports0 matched anchors / keylessRun doj-epstein-congress-reports-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 0 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.ready keylessDOJ Epstein official court records index0 matched anchors / keylessRun doj-epstein-court-records-import, store a source-run packet, and reconcile 0 matched case anchors before adding derived timeline rows.
Graph JSONMachine provenance nodes and edges, not a visual page.Submission queueMutable review queue for public source leads.Validation reportPromotion rules, dedupe checks, and lead quarantine.Verification packetCase hashes, claim gates, source anchors, and scout rows in one bundle.Change ledgerWhat changed, what stayed held, and which hashes prove it.Source atlasOfficial feeds, import lanes, and credential gates.Connector matrixCase-scoped connector families, access classes, and credential gates.Document manifestPrivacy and mirroring rules for source documents.Review queueMetadata, privacy, and safe-excerpt worker jobs.Mirror seedPublic node seed for independent source mirrors.