Happy Friday! It’s January 2, and we’re tracking top stories to kick off the new year: Mexican Mafia ‘shot caller’ wins California Supreme Court fight, how China is upgrading its digital yuan for the stablecoin era, Mile-high crime club, Trump Upends Prosecution of White Collar Crime, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Reputed Mexican Mafia ‘shot caller’ wins California Supreme Court fight over fines and fees. In 2019 he was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 restitution fine to the state’s victim compensation fund — money he told the court he didn’t have. Los Angeles Times

🔥 TOP STORIES

How China is upgrading its digital yuan for the stablecoin era SCMP

Mile-high crime club: theft syndicates target Asia’s airlines SCMP

Trump Administration Upends Prosecution of White-Collar Crime WSJ

📘 Expert Opinion: Strengthening The Gatekeepers – A New Era in AML Strategy (Archana Bae & Anne Walton)

Behind Oklahoma Cannabis Farms, New Yorkers With Ties to Beijing NYT

U.S. approves Samsung, SK Hynix chipmaking tool shipments to China for 2026 CNBC

Treasury removes sanctions for three executives tied to spyware maker Intellexa The Record

Minn. Somali-run day care bizarrely reports their documents were stolen in mysterious break-in — but cops tell a different story NYP

Trump using fraud law to target major companies on DEI USA Today

Scammers notched $333M from bitcoin ATM scams in 2025 ABC

Can a Corporation Be Complicit in War Crimes? Sweden Is Trying to Find Out. NYT

Two Americans Plead Guilty to Targeting Multiple U.S. Victims Using ALPHV BlackCat Ransomware DOJ

From Venezuela to Spain and Miami: An entrepreneur’s path into global crime Miami Herald

How Doctors Without Borders Became a Political Actor in Gaza Quillette

A Shrimper, a Carmaker, a Lawyer: How the World Tackled Trump’s Trade War WSJ

Delaying the Effective Date of the AML/CFT and SAR Requirements for Registered Investment Advisers and Exempt Reporting Advisers FinCEN

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

The Dutch Seized A Chinese Chipmaker. Supply Chain Chaos Has Just Begun. Forbes

Russian billionaire Potanin acquires minority stake in cloud provider Selectel Reuters

Citigroup Approves Sale of Russian Operations, Flagging $1.2B Loss Moscow Times

German prosecutors will drop investigation of Russian magnate Usmanov upon payment of $11M fine AP

Oil tanker pursued by US now has a Russian flag painted on its side CNN

Zambia becomes the first African country to take mining taxes in China’s yuan Business Insider

Badenoch under fire as Tory shadow attorney general acts for Roman Abramovich Guardian

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Thieves drill into a German bank vault and steal tens of millions of euros worth of property AP

$5B in ‘questionable’ rental assistance under Biden revealed — including to thousands of ‘deceased tenants’ and non-citizens NYP

HHS freezing child care payments to all states after Minnesota fraud allegations ABC

Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock ordered to forfeit $5.2 million CBS

He Is Being Sued in the U.S. for Human Rights Abuses. He Could be Deported First. NYT

Motorcycles worth $40M seized from FBI most-wanted Olympic snowboarder BBC

Turkey Arrests Ex-Football Executive on Money Laundering Charges AInvest

UK law firms get ready for crackdown on money laundering Guardian

🌎 SANCTIONS & TERROR

Chinese Oil Tankers Challenge US Blockade off Venezuela Newsweek

Why Chevron still operates in Venezuela despite US sanctions Euronews

U.S. sanctions Iranian, Venezuelan groups tied to weapons trade CNBC

Iran offers to sell advanced weapons systems for crypto The Street

Texas man accused of trying to support ISIS ordered held pending trial ABC

Turkey detains 357 suspected IS members in nationwide raids BBC

Russia still importing Michelin aviation tires despite sanctions Guardian

Coupang’s US lobby can’t block Korean sanctions Korea Times

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

A scammer's guide: How cybercriminals plot to rob a target in a week Reuters

TRM Traces Stolen Crypto from 2022 LastPass Breach TRM Labs

Former Coinbase support agent arrested for helping hackers BleepingComputer

The Year in Bitcoin and Crypto ATMs 2025: Power Tools, Scams and Calls for Action Decrypt

Unleash hacker begins laundering $4 million in ETH through Tornado Cash The Block

From Bybit to Coinbase: 2025's Biggest Crypto Hacks and Breaches Decrypt

‘Why should we pay these criminals?’: the hidden world of ransomware negotiations Guardian

🚚 TRAFFICKING

US military says at least eight killed in new strikes on alleged drug boats CNN

CBP seizes 935 pounds of cocaine concealed in cargo trailer chassis in San Juan U.S. CBP

1 percent tax on remittances from US takes effect in 2026 Border Report

Sinaloa Cartel war is taking its toll on Los Chapitos El País

Drug gangs pose grave threat to European security Financial Times

Trump Calls Petro a ‘Drug Leader.’ What’s the Colombian Leader’s Record? NYT

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