According to Cointelegraph, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and a former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) deputy have confessed to federal offenses, including conspiracy, civil rights violations, and tax evasion. The Department of Justice revealed the plea agreements on January 17, highlighting the involvement of Adam Iza, 24, known as the “crypto godfather” and founder of the Zort crypto trading platform, in a scheme characterized by intimidation, extortion, and fraud. Eric Chase Saavedra, 41, a former LASD deputy and task force officer, exploited law enforcement resources to support Iza’s illicit activities. Court documents indicate that Iza employed off-duty LASD deputies as personal enforcers to target business competitors and perceived threats. Saavedra, using his credentials as a deputy and a task force officer with the US Marshals Service, unlawfully accessed sensitive law enforcement databases, fabricated search warrant affidavits, and misused his badge to assist Iza’s vendettas. In one notable incident, Iza attempted to steal a laptop he believed contained over $100 million in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors allege Saavedra obtained a search warrant in January 2022 under false pretenses, claiming the target was involved in a firearms investigation. Saavedra provided the victim’s location to Iza, who dispatched armed individuals to break into the victim’s home. The attempt was thwarted when the victim fired a warning shot, after which Iza reportedly sent the victim a video of the failed robbery. Prosecutors have detailed several other violent acts associated with the scheme. In August 2021, LASD deputies allegedly held a victim at gunpoint at Iza’s residence, coercing a $25,000 bank transfer. In October 2021, Iza personally forced another victim to transfer $127,000 while holding them at gunpoint. Saavedra also ran a private security firm, Saavedra & Associates LLC, employing off-duty deputies. Iza reportedly paid $100,000 monthly between 2021 and 2024 for continuous security services. Beyond the alleged extortion activities, Iza’s operations included financial fraud. Between 2020 and 2022, he is accused of defrauding Meta Platforms Inc., stealing over $37 million by accessing business accounts and associated credit lines. Both Iza and Saavedra have also admitted to federal tax crimes. Iza allegedly evaded $6.7 million in taxes for 2021, while Saavedra failed to report $373,146 in income. Iza, who has been in federal custody since September 2024, could face up to 35 years in prison. Saavedra, who resigned from LASD, faces up to 13 years. Both are expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles soon. US Attorney Martin Estrada stated, “The conduct admitted to in these plea agreements is deeply disturbing and cannot be tolerated.” He expressed gratitude for the cooperation of Sheriff Robert Luna and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in addressing corruption and upholding civil rights.

According to Binance Futures market data, the TRUMPUSDT Perpetual Contract opened at a peak price of 22.099 USDT upon its launch on Binance. The token's price has since adjusted, currently trading at 20.661 USDT.

Bitcoin has recorded a strong upswing, signaling a potential rally emerging from a market dip. source: https://ambcrypto.com/bitcoin-105k-falls-again-but-is-275k-a-realistic-target-for-2025/

Blockchain developer Michael Lewellen has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing the Biden administration of suppressing cryptocurrency innovation by misinterpreting federal money transmission laws. The post Blockchain Developer Challenges DOJ Over Crypto Regulations appeared first on Cryptodnes. source: https://cryptodnes.bg/en/blockchain-developer-challenges-doj-over-crypto-regulations/

The post Is Trump Memecoin Going To Be a Buy The Rumor, Sell The News? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Donald Trump’s latest move into the crypto industry, with his Solana-based memecoin “Official Trump” ($TRUMP) has sparked buzz and skepticism among marketers. The 185% price spike and a $4 billion valuation has compelled the experts to question its long-term prospects amidst... source: https://coinpedia.org/news/is-trump-memecoin-going-to-be-a-buy-the-rumor-sell-the-news/

According to Foresight News, data from the DeFiLlama platform indicates that as of January 18, Solana's DeFi Total Value Locked (TVL) has reached $10.15 billion, marking a new all-time high.

As the world of online gambling continues to evolve, crypto casinos have emerged as a popular alternative to traditional platforms. Bety Casino is a prime example of this trend, leveraging blockchain technology to provide a secure, transparent, and immersive gaming experience.  Bety Crypto Casino stands out in the crypto casino space with a strong focus […] source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/bety-crypto-casino-review-bonuses-and-games/

Odaily Planet Daily News: According to the official announcement, Bitget announced that it has launched the U-based TRUMP perpetual contract with a maximum leverage of 25 times. Contract strategy trading will be opened simultaneously.

Odaily Planet Daily News According to Ai Yi, an analyst on the chain, in the past 15 hours, the band whale bought 6025 WETH at an average price of $3412 and closed the short order of 5000 ETH (the average short price was $3442), making a profit of $150,000; An hour ago, he sold the remaining 1025 ETH at a price of $3309, with a loss of $105,600. Ten minutes ago, the whale bought back 1000 ETH (3.28 million US dollars) at an average price of $3298, and currently pledged it in Aave as margin. Its BTC short position has not changed. Since the average short price is $103,155.8, it is still losing $112,000.

This signals growing demand for Ripple stablecoin source: https://u.today/2008333-rlusd-issued-in-ripples-latest-minting-details

After the community’s anti-VC coin movement, in addition to the meme craze, it will also bring about the rise of IC0 platforms.

Trump, President of the United States, Crypto President Trump and his $8 billion Meme coin Golden Finance, someone else became rich overnight.

The 203rd Ethereum ACDE meeting focused on the launch of Pectra Devnet 5, specification updates, and testnet upgrade plans, pushing the mainnet upgrade and ecosystem collaboration to a new stage.

BTCfi is regarded as Bitcoin 2.0 by improving Bitcoin productivity and shared security, promoting ecological collaboration and leading the development of more innovative consumer-oriented projects.

Recently, we have received many requests for help from victims, all related to the "Fake Safeguard" scam on Telegram.

The cryptocurrency industry has urged President-elect Trump to build up a Bitcoin reserve, creating real political momentum for the initiative.

Grayscale executives said that while the crypto industry had “two big wins” last year with spot crypto exchange-traded funds and Republican Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. election, 2025 could see a slew of “smaller wins.”

AI Agent, Artificial Intelligence, Long-term Potential Risks of AI Agents Golden Finance, I think I still underestimated the future potential of those decentralized applications.

Golden Finance launched the 2573rd issue of "Golden Morning 8", a morning report on the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry, to provide you with the latest and fastest digital currency and blockchain industry news.

With innovation, institutional support and regulatory evolution in the bull market, DeFi is expected to reshape its position as a driving force of the crypto ecosystem with practicality and sustainability.