InfoBytes Blog
DOJ team to address cryptocurrency
On October 6, the DOJ announced the launch of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), which will focus on addressing “complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal misuses of cryptocurrency, particularly crimes committed by virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and money laundering infrastructure actors.” According to the DOJ, the NCET will combine “the expertise of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and other sections in the division, with experts detailed from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.” Among other things, the NCET will: (i) develop strategic priorities for investigations and prosecutions involving cryptocurrency; (ii) identify areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus; (iii) develop and maintain relationships with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies involved in cryptocurrency cases; (iv) train federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in investigative and prosecutorial strategies; and (v) coordinate with private sector actors in cryptocurrency matters. In announcing the program, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated that “[a]s the technology advances, so too must the Department evolve with it so that we’re poised to root out abuse on these platforms and ensure user confidence in these systems.”