Latest news with #DistrictOfColumbia
The Verge
a day ago
- The Verge
DOJ files to seize $225 million in crypto from scammers
The Department of Justice reported yesterday that it filed a civil complaint to seize roughly $225.3 million in cryptocurrency linked to crypto investment scams. In a press release, the DOJ said it traced and targeted accounts that were 'part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network' dispersing funds taken from more than 400 suspected victims of fraud. The 75-page complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia lays out more detail about the seizure. According to it, the US Secret Service (USSS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tied scammers to seven groups of Tether stablecoin tokens. The fraud fell under what's typically known as 'pig butchering:' a form of long-running confidence scam aimed at tricking victims — sometimes with a fake romantic relationship — into what they believe is a profitable crypto investment opportunity, then disappearing with the funds. Pig butchering rings often traffic the workers who directly communicate with victims to Southeast Asian countries, something the DOJ alleges this ring did. The DOJ says Tether and crypto exchange OKX first alerted law enforcement in 2023 to a series of accounts they believed were helping launder fraudulently obtained currency through a vast and complex web of transactions. The alleged victims include Shan Hanes (referred to in this complaint as S.H.), the former Heartland Tri-State Bank president who was sentenced to 24 years in prison for embezzling tens of millions of dollars to invest in one of the best-known and most devastating pig butchering scams. The complaint lists a number of other victims who lost thousands or millions of dollars they thought they were investing (and did not commit crimes of their own). An FBI report cited by the press release concluded overall crypto investment fraud caused $5.8 billion worth of reported losses in 2024.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
IPD Group, Owner of EIN Presswire, Affinity Group Publishing, and other News Applications, Rebrands to Newsmatics
Newsmatics Is a News Tech Company Developing Next-Generation Global News Platforms 'Our News Tech platforms are a proving ground for a range of our pioneering News Tech models and there are many more to come'— Mr. Rothstein. WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, USA, May 2, 2022 / / -- Internet Product Development Group, Inc. (IPD Group) is announcing the change of its company name to Newsmatics. The name change reflects the company's focus on news technology platform development and its growing ambitions in areas such as media monitoring, custom media analysis, and advanced intelligence software applications for all types of business, academic, and government customers. Newmatics' current platforms include EIN Presswire, Perspectify News App, Affinity Group Publishing, NewsPlugin, and the Newsmatics News Index. Newsmatics develops and owns market-leading news applications and databases used worldwide by millions of people. It is a world-leading player in the news content distribution and newswire industries via its EIN Presswire. During 2021, Newsmatics' Affinity Group Publishing division launched 3,900 publications powered by the company's proprietary global news indexing systems, presenting structured news content from thousands of worldwide English language sources. The news index, branded as Newsmatics News Index, is a hybrid business model of content publishing and distribution. Each publication such as Beijing Free Press, China Daily Sun, Australian News Journal, Egypt Political Times, Saudi Arabia Business Times, The Japanese Globe, Afghanistan News Wire, etc. is dedicated to a specific topic, region, or a combination of both. Affinity Group Publishing uses proprietary tools to populate each publication with topic-relevant and engaging news articles, applying its vast experience from creating its own world-leading newswires. A professional team of content moderators oversees the results, but we are ready to open the platform for readers to further increase the quality of our localized news content. David Rothstein, CEO of Newsmatics, says, 'Launching 3,900 individually branded news publications in 12 months is no small feat. It represents the depth of technology we possess and the know-how in deploying it. We are reaching deeper into affinity topic communities to present localized content from vetted sources. We aim to help stem the tide of growing news deserts and to give a boost to community journalism. Our future planning leads to hiring local journalists to further increase the quality of our localized news content and help the community of journalists at a time when real journalism is under duress.' 'Our News Tech platforms are a proving ground for a range of our pioneering News Tech models and there are many more to come,' says Mr. Rothstein. Newsmatics News Index is positioning itself as one of the world's leading real-time news indexes. Newsmatics News Index already catalogs news from online news publications worldwide. Mr. Rothstein says, 'We go deeper than other news indexes in that we expect to index more sources than others and we are building analytics. Analytics will include graphs, charts, forecasts, mapping, sentiment analysis, plagiarism tracking, and even copyright violation detections. We apply mathematics to the news.' About Newsmatics Newsmatics is an independent privately held News Tech company headquartered in Washington, DC focused on news technology platform development. Its activities include media monitoring, custom media analysis, and advanced intelligence software applications. Its product line includes EIN Presswire, Affinity Group Publishing, Newsmatics News Index, and the Perspectify mobile app, among others. The company's workforce consists of a global network of talented individuals focused on providing clarity and increasing transparency with respect to news content, while simultaneously striving to help fill local news deserts. It does not rely on advertising as a material source of its revenue. The world is seeing a dangerous rise in propaganda and misinformation purposefully and strategically making its way into media outlets, with some dedicated solely to these harmful activities. Pushing back against these trends is part of our core ethos. David Rothstein Newsmatics +1 202-335-9494 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
E&E News
a day ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Groups sue science agency over grant terminations
A coalition of groups representing teachers, researchers and educators is suing the National Science Foundation for terminating scientific grants. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, contends that the science agency's moves to terminate more than $1 billion of scientific grants, cooperative agreements and other financial awards at the direction of the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency operation 'violates the separation of powers and is unlawful.' The science agency — whose broad research funding includes projects at universities, nonprofits and industry — announced earlier this year that it had begun terminating awards 'that are not aligned with NSF's priorities.' Advertisement That change in priorities preceded the termination of 'numerous active grants for projects that seek to expand participation of women and underrepresented groups in STEM as mandated by Congress, along with other basic research projects,' the lawsuit says.
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
The GOP Tax-Bill Endgame
A newsy analysis of the workings of D.C. (and beyond), providing the inside track on both the overhyped and overlooked events of the week. Subscribe here, and read this week's edition below:
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Judge says government can't limit passport sex markers for many transgender, nonbinary people
A federal judge expanded a ruling Tuesday that blocked the Trump administration from enacting policy changes to sex markers on passports for many transgender and nonbinary Americans. In an executive order signed in January, the president used a narrow definition of the sexes instead of a broader conception of gender. The order says a person is male or female and it rejects the idea that someone can transition from the sex assigned at birth to another gender. U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick granted a motion to apply her earlier ruling to people who want a passport different than the male/female sex designation they were given at birth and those who want an X designation. The ruling applies only to those people who are currently without a valid passport, those whose passport is expiring within a year, and those who need to apply for a passport because theirs was lost or stolen or because they need to change their name or sex designation. Initially the ruling only applied to the six plaintiffs in the case. Last month Kobick, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, sided with the American Civil Liberties Union's motion for a preliminary injunction, which stays the action while the lawsuit plays out. It requires the State Department to allow six transgender and nonbinary people who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit to obtain passports with sex designations consistent with their gender identity. 'The Executive Order and the Passport Policy on their face classify passport applicants on the basis of sex and thus must be reviewed under intermediate judicial scrutiny,' Kobick wrote. 'That standard requires the government to demonstrate that its actions are substantially related to an important governmental interest. The government has failed to meet this standard.' In its lawsuit, the ACLU described how one woman had her passport returned with a male designation while others are too scared to submit their passports because they fear their applications might be suspended and their passports held by the State Department. Another mailed in their passport on Jan. 9 and requested a name change and to change their sex designation from male to female. That person was still waiting for their passport, the ACLU wrote in the lawsuit, and feared missing a family wedding and a botany conference this year. In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration argued the passport policy change 'does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution.' They also contended that the president has broad discretion in setting passport policy and that plaintiffs would not be harmed by the policy, since they are still free to travel abroad.
