The US Department of Justice (DOJ) just indicted 12 additional defendants as part of a conspiracy involved in crypto crimes worth $263 million. It accused them of working with Malone Lam, who was arrested last September.
Most of the group’s actions involved social engineering scams, but members also stand accused of burglary. Additionally, the DOJ pressed charges against Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm today.
However, as today’s indictments clearly show, the DOJ is still interested in taking down high-level crypto crime. The twelve defendants stand accused of many serious offenses:
“[The defendants] allegedly participating in a cyber-enabled racketeering conspiracy throughout the United States and abroad that netted them more than $263 million. [Their] various roles included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers, money launderers, and residential burglars targeting hardware virtual currency wallets,” the DOJ claimed.
These defendants were allegedly in league with Malone Lam, the group’s ringleader, who was arrested last September. The DOJ claimed that Lam organized the whole crime ring, targeting victims, employing scams, laundering money, and more.
The bulk of this $263 million came through social engineering and similar scam methods. The group systematically stole and purchased databases of crypto users, identified valuable targets, and attempted to defraud them.
Lam personally scammed $230 million from one victim alone. However, the group soon moved on to much more brute-force methods.
This is Malone Lam.
This 20-year-old committed one of the biggest p2p heists in history
In Aug 2024 he scammed someone for 4,100 $BTC ($385,4M)
I spent ~10 hours researching all the data: the info I found was shocking…
Specifically, the DOJ accused the defendants of much more serious crimes. In an effort to steal hardware wallets, Lam remotely monitored a target’s iCloud metadata while a co-conspirator burglarized his home.
Unfortunately, violent thefts are far from unheard of in this industry: a prominent crypto kidnapping took place in France two days ago.
The indictments named 10 of the 12 co-defendants, claiming that several of them have been arrested. At least two remain anonymous and at large, believed to be living in Dubai.
The DOJ has been demonstrating its resolve on several crypto crimes today. Specifically, it announced that it would indeed be pressing charges against Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash.
Although crypto enforcement has been loosened somewhat, the Department of Justice is still determined to prosecute prominent offenders.
MOODENG, the Solana-based meme coin, has recently experienced an incredible 700% surge in price over the past week. This jump has positioned it as one of the top-performing tokens, and the growth is expected to continue as the market embraces the meme coin.
With momentum building, MOODENG is well on its way to potentially reaching a new all-time high (ATH).
MOODENG Finds Demand
The surge in MOODENG’s price is driven by organic demand, as indicated by the Open Interest (OI) data. Over the past week, traders have poured $324 million into the meme coin, pushing the OI from $18 million to $342 million. This 1,800% increase in OI suggests a strong market interest, with demand for MOODENG extending beyond its spot market performance.
In the futures market, the strong interest in MOODENG also points to growing optimism around the token. With $324 million flowing into the futures contracts, it’s evident that traders are betting on the meme coin’s success.
Data from Holderscan shows that MOODENG’s holder base has expanded significantly, now reaching 75,000 holders. Interestingly, the distribution of assets among holders with less than $10 worth of the token has surged from 17% to 33% in the last ten days.
This shift indicates that smaller retail investors are now actively buying MOODENG, further boosting its market presence. This growing number of smaller holders suggests that MOODENG is gaining traction among institutional investors and with retail participants who see potential for substantial gains.
MOODENG’s price has shot up by 703% in the past week, currently trading at $0.305, just below the resistance of $0.355. The recent rally has positioned the coin near its ATH, and breaking through the $0.355 resistance could open the door for further price appreciation.
If MOODENG manages to breach the $0.355 barrier and flip it into support, it could surge past its previous ATH of $0.700. The continuation of the bullish trend would likely push the price even higher, solidifying MOODENG’s position as a major meme coin in the market.
However, if MOODENG fails to break through the $0.355 resistance, a decline is possible. In this scenario, the meme coin’s price could fall back to $0.180 or even lower if profit-taking increases among investors. This would invalidate the current bullish outlook and prompt a correction in price.
President Trump is again urging lower interest rates after bullish US employment data. Some analysts are hopeful that new rate cuts will generate positive momentum for Bitcoin.
However, there are no signs that Powell will change his mind. If anything, it’s even less likely. Tariffs could cause unprecedented chaos, and the economy doesn’t need rate cuts to survive right now.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 177,000, far outperforming expectations, while unemployment remained steady and wages went up. This prompted President Trump to ask once again for cuts to the interest rate:
Gasoline just broke $1.98 a Gallon, lowest in years, groceries (and eggs!) down, energy down, mortgage rates down, employment strong, and much more good news, as Billions of Dollars pour in from Tariffs. Just like I said, and we’re only in a TRANSITION STAGE, just getting…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 2, 2025
President Trump has repeatedly asked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates. The crypto industry has also heavily advocated for such a move, which would encourage investment in risk-on assets.
Powell’s position has been very consistent. Tariffs could severely damage the economy, and the Federal Reserve needs to keep its powder dry to stave off future collapse. If it cut rates after bullish news, the Fed would have one less potential tool in the event of a real crisis.
To put it bluntly, there is a very low chance that Trump will get his desired rate cuts soon. Justin Wolfers, an economist at the University of Michigan, explained why the bullish report actually makes rate cuts less likely:
“I’m almost certain that the Fed remains on hold at its next meeting. The real economy (so far) is strong enough to not warrant a rate cut. And the big questions are all just over the horizon. Powell has been clear: He doesn’t want to guess what’s over that horizon, he wants to wait & see. The report is absolutely legit. White House interpretations are a different issue,” he said.
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.]
Grab a coffee as we delve into market sentiment about XRP ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the US. As prospects for this financial instrument continue to grow, experts have weighed in on the possible impact on Ripple’s XRP token.
Crypto News of the Day: XRP ETF Inflows to Reach $8.3 Billion, Standard Chartered Predicts
There has been much chatter this week in crypto about XRP ETFs, ranging from false rumors and reports to delays in key decisions. However, one thing appears certain: the conversation is growing more than ever.
In a recent US Crypto News publication, ETF analyst Eric Balchunas indicated they have raised their odds to 85%. Based on this, analysts offer diverging outlooks on how such a product might perform.
“XRP price could rise to $12.23 or $22.20 after ETF Approval if XRP ETFs Get 15% to 30% of Bitcoin ETF Inflows,” a popular account on X shared.
BeInCrypto data shows that XRP was trading for $2.22 as of this writing, down by almost 1% in the last 24 hours.
Against this backdrop, BeInCrypto contacted Standard Chartered for a commentary. The bank’s head of digital assets research, Geoff Kendrick, said it was challenging to predict precise inflow figures.
However, he indicated that comparative data from Europe could provide some guidance.
“The amount of eventual inflows to XRP ETFs is difficult to estimate. However, Bitwise has listed ETPs in Germany for XRP, Solana, Litecoin, BTC, and ETH, which may provide an apples-for-apples comparison,” Kendrick told BeInCrypto.
Drawing on his prediction of how an XRP ETF could perform and the associated impact on XRP price, Kendrick compared Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins.
Citing Bitwise data, the Standard Chartered executive noted that altcoins garner a larger percentage of ETP (exchange-traded product) net asset value (NAV) as a percentage of coin market capitalization than Bitcoin and Ethereum.
However, he acknowledged that this could be because fewer ETPs are available for altcoins. Kendrick added that NAV-to-market-cap ratios from already approved US spot ETFs provide a useful benchmark.
Based on these assessments, Geoff Kendrick projected that a US-listed spot XRP ETF could attract as much as $8.3 billion in inflows within its first year.
“Of the US spot ETFs approved so far, NAV as a percentage of market cap is 3% for Ethereum and just under 6% for Bitcoin. At current XRP market cap, that would imply a range of $4.4 billion to $8.3 billion as a future total NAV measure for an XRP ETF, which seems like a reasonable target range for inflows in the first 12 months,” Kendrick added.
Kendrick Sees Ripple Price at $8, Bitfinex Analysts Question Investor Interest for XRP ETFs
The Standard Chartered executive said he expects XRP price gains to keep pace with Bitcoin price growth targets.
He forecasted the Ripple price to rise to $8 by 2026, contingent on spot XRP ETF approvals in the US. This would constitute a 260% surge above the current price of $2.22.
“In real terms, XRP inflation is currently 6%, versus 0.8% for Bitcoin. As such, we target the XRP-USD price levels of $5.50 at end-2025, $8.00 at end-2026, $10.40 at end-2027, $12.50 at end-2028 and $12.25 at end-2029,” Kendrick explained.
Meanwhile, analysts at Bitfinex caution against optimism, saying that investor interest in a US-based spot XRP ETF may not match that witnessed in Bitcoin ETFs.
“We expect limited inflows into an XRP ETF as some investors may choose to broaden their exposure across available crypto ETFs. However it is unlikely to see the level of flows experienced by Bitcoin,” Bitfinex analysts told BeInCrypto.
The contrasting assessments reflect broader uncertainty over how altcoin ETFs might perform in a regulated US market.
Bitcoin’s dominance and changing regulatory attitudes toward digital assets still heavily influence the crypto market in the US.
So far, Grayscale, Wisdom Tree, Bitwise, Canary, and 21Shares have filed for XRP ETF approvals with the SEC. Bitwise’s application received official acknowledgment on February 18, triggering several timelines for approving, denying, or extending the application.
The final deadline is October 12, 240 days after official receipt. This date is equivalent to the ‘final deadline’ of January 10, 2024, for BTC ETF approvals, the day they were approved.
However, with other applications beyond XRP ETF pending approval, including Solana and Litecoin, Kendrick noted that other applications in the pipeline could affect the timeline for XRP ETF approval.
“Litecoin seems most likely to progress the fastest, providing early insight into how the new SEC leadership will treat altcoin ETFs,” Kendrick said.
As a hard fork of Bitcoin, Litecoin could already be viewed by the SEC as a commodity rather than a security. According to Kendrick, its similarity to Bitcoin may make it conceptually easier for investors to understand.
“We expect a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs next year, albeit not all at once. First out is likely the BTC + ETH combo ETFs, then probably Litecoin (because it is a fork of BTC, [therefore it’s a] commodity), then HBAR (because it’s not labeled security), and then XRP/Solana (which have been labeled securities in pending lawsuits),” Balchunas stated.
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