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Butcher Box, Latin King Sting, and Hoop Crimes
Illicit Edge - Edition for February 3, 2026
Hello Tuesday! It’s February 3, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: Cambodian scam compound yields trove of fraud evidence, FBI busts Latin Kings gang nationwide, the Instagram star accused of corrupting NCAA, ‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company, and much more…

🎯 FEATURED STORY
Cambodian scam compound yields trove of fraud evidence. The six‑story building was strewn with documents, including long lists of what appeared to be potential targets and their contact details, as well as scripts for scam dialogues. Reuters
🔥 TOP STORIES
FBI busts Latin Kings gang nationwide, nearly 50 arrested in sweeping crackdown Fox News
‘Cashing all day’: The Instagram star accused of corrupting NCAA hoops Washington Post
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company Wall Street Journal
Impose sanctions on refineries that buy Russian crude oil to end war The Guardian
Treasury Sanctions Iranian Regime Officials for Violent Repression and Corruption U.S. Department of the Treasury
📘 Featured: 2026 Crypto Crime Report TRM Labs
U.S. government seizes $400 million Helix made from drug-linked transactions CoinDesk
Solana DeFi platform step finance hit by $27 million treasury hack as token price craters CoinDesk
Stablecoin law allows crypto firms to profit from fraud CNN
Popular open-source coding application targeted in Chinese-linked supply-chain attack Reuters
Asian financial hubs are reshaping Africa’s offshore economy ICIJ
Saudi Arabia Arrests 127 in Ongoing Anti-Corruption Campaign OCCRP
Hong Kong police arrest hundreds in HK$620 million fraud, money laundering crackdown South China Morning Post
Inside Russia’s Secret Campaign of Sabotage in Europe New Yorker
IN THE NEWS
🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA
Trump to Create $12 Billion Rare-Earth Stockpile to Counter China Wall Street Journal
Russia's biggest bitcoin mining firm's founder arrested for tax evasion while his company faces bankruptcy CoinDesk
Germany detains 5 men accused of illegally exporting goods to Russia AP
EU Mulls Ban on Russian Copper, Platinum in New Sanctions Bloomberg
China Sentences Corrupt Ex-Minister to Life in Prison Newsweek
🚀 SANCTIONS
UK announces sanctions against perpetrators of human rights violations in Iran GOV.UK
Cuba struggles under sanctions as Trump hints at possible deal AFP
Sanctions by the Numbers: 2025 Year in Review CNAS
💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME
Somali Welfare Fraud in Minnesota Has Cost American Taxpayers Billions The Heritage Foundation
The Epstein files expose just how cheap corruption is in the UK The Guardian
Siddiq given second Bangladesh jail sentence as Labour criticises process BBC News
Real, fake or overblown? Sorting fact from fiction in fraud allegations surrounding Newsom, California Los Angeles Times
Fintech CEO and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum has been charged for alleged fraud TechCrunch
Trial of ex-FirstEnergy executives charged in $60M Ohio bribery scheme set to begin The Independent
NFL Stars Fundraise for Islamic Charity Tied to Minnesota's Feeding Our Future Fraud Scandal The Free Beacon
🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER
The Wild Markets Behind Polymarket’s ‘Truth Machine’ The Wall Street Journal
Secret US cyber operations shielded 2024 election from foreign trolls, but now the Trump admin has gutted protections CNN
Crypto crime is getting violent: ‘wrench attacks’ jumped 75% in 2026 CoinDesk
Notepad++ hijacked by suspected state-sponsored hackers The Record
Department of Justice seizes domains for Bulgarian piracy sites The Record
Please Don’t Feed the Scattered Lapsus ShinyHunters Krebs on Security
🚚 TRAFFICKING
Epstein's sex empire was 'KGB honeytrap': Pedophile financier had multiple talks with Putin after conviction - with Russian girls flown in to harvest 'kompromat' on world-famous figures Daily Mail
NYC woman sentenced for laundering $20M in drug money through airline ticket business New York Post
Florida AG announces trafficking convictions, 122 missing children recovered ABC
“There is no witness so terrible and no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.” —Sophocles
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