Hello! It’s January 20, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: The Untouchable ‘Hacker God’, Hit Iran in Its Shadow Bank Accounts, How Crypto Is Used for Political Corruption, Kidnapping and $12 Billion Battle Hang Over Conoco Return to Venezuela, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

He called himself an ‘untouchable hacker god’. But who was behind the biggest crime Finland has ever known? Guardian

🔥 TOP STORIES

Hit Iran in Its Shadow Bank Accounts WSJ

How Crypto Is Used for Political Corruption Atlantic

Kidnapping and $12 Billion Battle Hang Over Conoco Return to Venezuela WSJ

What to Know About Hezbollah’s Ties to Venezuela New York Times

Maha Capital seeks US approval to buy stake in Venezuelan oil firm Reuters

Italy Intercepts Cargo Ship With Russian Metal in Sanctions Enforcement Move United24

USDT on Tron central to $1 billion money laundering scheme DL News

South Korea busts alleged $102 million crypto laundering scheme The Block

Crypto’s worst year for hacks wasn’t a smart contract issue. It was a people problem. CoinDesk

Hacker steals $282M crypto from a victim in social-engineering attack CoinDesk

China-linked hackers targeted US agencies with Venezuela-themed phishing SCMP

Kaiser affiliates will pay $556M to settle a lawsuit alleging Medicare fraud Associated Press

Mexican cartels fuel record fentanyl, meth busts in Rocky Mountain states Fox News

A Wall Street Legend and His Penthouse Sex Dungeon WSJ

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Trump ban on new foreign drones could raise prices and shrink choices NBC News

Russia Restores Old Planes to Address Growing Airline Fleet Shortages Moscow Times

U.S. Investment Fund Sues Russia Over $225B in Unpaid Tsarist-Era Debts Moscow Times

France charges math professor accused in China spying case SCMP

China signs record $213B of new ‘belt and road’ deals in 2025 SCMP

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Minnesota fraud probe 'tip of the iceberg' as more blue states face scrutiny Fox News

How common is MaineCare fraud? Portland Press Herald

Swedbank Shares Climb After U.S. Justice Department Closes Probe WSJ

Italy's privacy watchdog, scourge of US big tech, hit by corruption probe Reuters

Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko charged amid anti-corruption investigation Euronews

FBI announces charges against individuals in college basketball bribery case NBC News

Goldman Sachs Grapples With Top Lawyer’s Epstein Problem WSJ

🌎 SANCTIONS

US sanctions Iranian officials, bankers amid crackdown on protesters Politico

Iranian regime elites move millions of dollars out of country amid sanctions Fox News

New Sanctions On Russian Oil Hit Indian, Turkish Refineries. Enter China? Radio Free Europe

EU weighs up economic sanctions against US after Trump’s tariff threats Guardian

Freed Belarusian Opposition Figure Calls for Easing Sanctions as Minsk Remains Aligned With Moscow United24

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Privacy Coins Monero, Dash and Dusk Defy Crypto Market Slump Decrypt

Bermuda teams up with Coinbase and Circle, aiming to build a 'fully onchain' economy The Block

Here's why Coinbase and other companies soured on the major crypto bill CoinDesk

Scam and corruption cases spark debate in China over cryptocurrencies’ future SCMP

Tennessee man pleads guilty to repeatedly hacking Supreme Court’s filing system Associated Press

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Colombian warlord sentenced to 40 years in prison after serving time for drug trafficking in the US Associated Press

Drug ring's "monkey" technique used young swimmers to stash cocaine on ships at sea CBS

My children were recruited in a trafficking scam. I joined a police hunt to find them. BBC News

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