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Shaolin Swindler, Fentanyl Barbie, and Friendship Fraud
Illicit Edge - Edition for March 23, 2026
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Happy Monday! It’s March 23, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: Former Shaolin Temple abbot indicted for bribery and embezzlement, Fentanyl found inside Barbies sold at Missouri discount store, Friendship fraud: warnings of rise in 'insidious' scam targeting older people, The Gates Foundation and Jeffrey Epstein Were More Entangled Than We Thought, and much more…
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🎯 FEATURED STORY
Former Shaolin Temple abbot indicted for bribery and embezzlement. Prosecutors formally charge ‘CEO monk’ Shi Yongxin four months after his arrest following financial and sexual scandals. South China Morning Post
🔥 TOP STORIES
Fentanyl found inside Barbies sold at Missouri discount store CBS News
Friendship fraud: warnings of rise in 'insidious' scam targeting older people The Guardian
The Gates Foundation and Jeffrey Epstein Were More Entangled Than We Thought Vanity Fair
Sanctioning a global network supporting Hizballah financing U.S. Department of State
Maximiliano Davila Perez, Former Director Of Bolivia's National Anti-Narcotics Agency, Sentenced To 25 Years For Conspiring To Import Cocaine DOJ
U.S. financial regulator issues long-awaited cryptocurrency guidance Reuters
Swiss government approves anti-money laundering plan Reuters
2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community Office of the DNI
US seizes domains and infrastructure used in sprawling botnet campaigns The Record
Slain Iranian Official's Sons Hold $29M in Dubai Property Using Assumed Names OCCRP
A Russian General's Secret Bribes: Inside A Wartime Corruption Network RFE/RL
Black Cube, leaked tapes and corruption: Israeli spy firm crashes Slovenia's election Politico
Phantom Contracts and Kickbacks: Poland's Judicial Corruption Scandal Widens OCCRP
Trio sentenced for facilitating North Korean IT worker scheme from their homes Cyberscoop
Interlock ransomware exploited Secure FMC flaw in zero-day attacks since January Bleeping Computer
Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero in plea talks in US Reuters
IN THE NEWS
🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA
Chelsea Chief Under Abramovich Could Face Scrutiny Over Soccer Cheating The New York Times
Oil for repression: How Venezuela spent billions on a Cuban-backed security state Miami Herald
Chongqing mayor under investigation as anti-corruption crackdown gathers pace South China Morning Post
US lawmaker asks Pentagon to review Safran ventures in China Reuters
Russia benefits from Iran war's oil shocks Semafor
New questions arise over TikTok sale Axios
🚀 SANCTIONS & TERROR
Former Binance CEO CZ waves off accusations on Iran, terror ties CoinDesk
Bloody NYC Khamenei vigil reveals anti-US protest network linked to Iran Fox News
Indiana University's Muslim Philanthropy Gave Fundraising Advice to 'Sham Charity' Bankrolling Hamas Free Beacon
Searching for Clues - Donations for Islamist Terrorism? DW
Refiners in India, elsewhere in Asia look to buy Iranian oil after US waives sanctions Reuters
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💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME
Money laundering probes, a multimillion-dollar deal and misleading evidence: The curious case before Victoria's racing tribunal Sydney Morning Herald
Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign Politico
Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski NBC News
FBI and IRS to investigate nonprofit groups for domestic terrorism links CBS News
Foreign nationals among arrested on charges they used stolen identities fraudulently DOJ
Secretary of State Marco Rubio to testify against Florida Rep. David Rivera in foreign agent, money laundering case CBS News
Disgraced ex-Gavin Newsom aide breaks silence as corruption trial looms New York Post
The $12 Million Medical Fraud That Put Patients At Risk Forbes
🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER
Spyware once used by governments is now spreading to cybercriminals Axios
CoinDCX co-founders arrested by Indian police for fraud deny wrongdoing, blame impersonation scheme The Block
Google warns over 200 million iPhone crypto wallets at risk Protos
Dollars and death threats: the dark side of prediction markets The Times
The Company Paid to Protect Your Identity Just Got Hacked Gizmodo
Resolv's USR stablecoin depegs after attacker mints 80 million unbacked tokens, extracts roughly $25 million The Block
🚚 TRAFFICKING
Pot Inc. is waiting to cash in on Trump's marijuana reclassification — but the DOJ is still dragging its feet New York Post
Leader of Ecuador's Los Lobos crime group arrested in Mexico City Reuters
The Incredible Story of the Cartel Olympics The Atlantic
Five Mexican nationals indicted after massive meth lab bust uncovers enormous quantities of drugs Fox News
US Border Patrol nabs Mexican fugitives in California wanted for murder, child sex crimes Fox News
"No big challenge has ever been solved, and no lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different." —Tim Cook
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