crypto fraud

Biggest Heist Ever is a Netflix documentary about the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex, in which 120,000 bitcoin were stolen. It follows how Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan later attempted to launder the proceeds.

Bitconned is a Netflix documentary about the Centra Tech cryptocurrency fraud, a 2017–2018 Miami-based ICO scam that stole over $25 million from investors.

The Bitfinex hack case involves the 2016 theft of 120,000 bitcoin from Hong Kong exchange Bitfinex by Ilya Lichtenstein, who with his wife Heather Morgan laundered billions in cryptocurrency.

While the Medellín Cartel made headlines with brutality, the Cali Cartel built a more sophisticated empire through corruption and strategic silence. By the mid-1990s, this Colombian organization controlled over 80% of the world's cocaine market—making it arguably the most powerful criminal enterprise ever assembled.

The Camorra, a Neapolitan organized crime syndicate, has transformed from a regional Italian threat into a transnational criminal powerhouse with operations spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. Fueled by drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and environmental crimes, the organization generates billions annually while leaving a trail of violence that claims innocent civilians.

On May 7, 2021, hackers from DarkSide crippled Colonial Pipeline with ransomware, causing fuel panic across the U.S. East Coast. The CEO paid $4.4 million in bitcoin — and the FBI clawed most of it back.

Samuel Bankman-Fried, the 32-year-old founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on March 28, 2024, after being convicted of orchestrating multiple fraudulent schemes that defrauded customers, investors, and lenders of billions of dollars.

Chinese triad organizations have established an extensive criminal network that reaches far beyond Asia. Sun Yee On, Wo Shing Wo and the 14K Triad are among the largest players behind international drug trafficking, human trafficking and large-scale money laundering.