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Tehran Squeeze, Fraud Task Force, and Fake Prince

Illicit Edge - Edition for March 17, 2026

Hello Tuesday! It’s March 17, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: How to Keep Up the Economic Pressure Against Iran, Trump formally names Vance chair of fraud task force, 'Fake Prince' Arrested in Nigeria as Another Victim of the Romance Scam Comes Forward, LA teen hitmen hired by Mexican cartel to rub out rival in Chili’s murder plot learn their fate, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

How to Keep Up the Economic Pressure Against Iran. If the shooting stops and the regime is still in power, the U.S. can still strike at its financial lifeline. WSJ

🔥 TOP STORIES

Trump formally names Vance chair of fraud task force — with California, New York among states in crosshairs NY Post

'Fake Prince' Arrested in Nigeria as Another Victim of the Romance Scam Comes Forward OCCRP

LA teen hitmen hired by Mexican cartel to rub out rival in Chili’s murder plot learn their fate NY Post

U.S. fugitive captured in Mexico 73 minutes after being added to FBI's most wanted list, fastest arrest in history CBS News

EU sanctions nine people over Bucha massacre, four for information manipulation Reuters

EU sanctions Iran group that hacked Charlie Hebdo Politico

INTERPOL report warns of increasingly sophisticated global financial fraud threat INTERPOL

Bank of America settles over Epstein claims BBC

Hack on U.S. Medical Company Shows Reach of Iran's Cyber Capabilities WSJ

South Korea fines Bithumb $24M, orders 6-month partial suspension over AML violations CoinDesk

Bolivia Captures One of South America's Most Wanted Drug Lords, Extraditing Him to U.S. OCCRP

US, UK, and Canada launch 'Operation Atlantic' to tackle crypto fraud Protos

EU agrees on rollover of Russia sanctions Politico

IN THE NEWS

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Russians Turn to Cash as Card Blocks, Mobile Internet Outages Erode Trust in Digital Payments The Moscow Times

Inside the coconut cartel: how Chinese money squeezes Thai farmers SCMP

Russia fines Telegram app $432,366 for failing to remove banned content Reuters

Mapping the global crackdown on shadow fleets CBC

🚀 SANCTIONS & TERROR

With dogs, dance and uncovered hair, Iranians defy 'unholy alliance' of socialists, radicals: 'Hypocrites!' Fox News

Ex-UFC Fighter and Kinahan 'Friend' Mounir Lazzez Linked to Iran Sanctions Bellingcat

Trump administration opposes Maduro's request to dismiss drug trafficking case NBC News

Mossad hunts Iranian terror cells abroad as officials warn restraints are off Ynet

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Lobbyist tied to pardon from Trump charged with attempted extortion CNN

Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement actions with former employee of Equity Bank and former employee of First State Bank of Dongola Federal Reserve

Madagascar's Transitional Leader Taps Anti-Corruption Expert as Prime Minister OCCRP

A $15M secret, an immigrant and a musician at heart of Detroit caper Detroit News

Billions for Gaza? First confront the corruption problem. Ynet

Eleven Indian Nationals Charged with Visa Fraud Conspiracy DOJ

German Prosecutors Target Providers of Software Used to Steal Millions in Online Trading Scams OCCRP

Owners and CEO of Wholesale Pharmaceutical Company Sentenced for Distributing More Than $92M of Black-Market HIV Drugs DOJ

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Supply-chain attack using invisible code hits GitHub and other repositories Ars Technica

Fake rooms, props and a script to lure victims: inside an abandoned Cambodia scam center The Guardian

Laundering Dirty Crypto in Cambodia The Diplomat

Crypto crime on the rise in Spain's Basque Country DL News

How Florida's Stablecoin Bill Mirrors 'Big Brother' Tools Outlawed Under Ron DeSantis' CDBC Ban - Decrypt Decrypt

Singapore warns of illicit funds in popular low-tax investment vehicles FT

🚚 TRAFFICKING

A new crime map for Mexico El País

Mexican Firearms Smuggler Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison, $15,000 Fine in Del Rio DOJ

The Rise and Fall of Sebastián Marset InSight Crime

"All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate … I choose love." —Johnny Cash

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