EU to upgrade electricity grid and launch ‘energy highways’ initiative
The European Union will strengthen its power grid and launch a new initiative targeting eight key energy bottlenecks across the bloc, according to the...
Aleksei Andriunin, the 26-year-old founder and CEO of cryptocurrency market maker Gotbit, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston on Friday to charges related to market manipulation and wire fraud.
Andriunin admitted his role in a scheme that manipulated digital token markets on behalf of client companies, part of a broader crackdown on fraudulent activities in the crypto sector.
According to the plea agreement, Andriunin and his firm engaged in "wash trading" from 2018 to 2024—an illicit practice involving the artificial inflation of trading volumes to boost token listings on major cryptocurrency exchanges. The indictment referenced a 2019 online interview in which Andriunin described creating code specifically designed to execute such trades, helping several tokens, including Saitama and Robo Inu, garner increased market attention. Prosecutors asserted that Gotbit generated millions of dollars in wash trades, earning tens of millions of dollars in proceeds for its services.
The guilty plea comes as part of "Operation Token Mirrors," a novel investigation in which the FBI, for the first time, engineered its own digital token to expose crypto fraudsters. Andriunin was extradited from Portugal, where he had been residing since his arrest in October, and his case is one of 15 individual and three firm charges brought forward under the operation.
As part of his plea deal, prosecutors have recommended that Andriunin face up to two years in prison when he is sentenced on June 16. Additionally, Gotbit has agreed to forfeit approximately $23 million in cryptocurrency. Andriunin's lawyer declined to comment on the case.
The case underscores ongoing regulatory and law enforcement efforts to bring greater transparency and accountability to the burgeoning cryptocurrency market, which has long been plagued by allegations of manipulation and fraud. As investigations continue, several individuals linked to the implicated cryptocurrencies are also facing charges, highlighting the wide-reaching impact of these illicit practices in the digital finance arena.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
The European Union will strengthen its power grid and launch a new initiative targeting eight key energy bottlenecks across the bloc, according to the European Commission President.
Italy will deploy two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to support NATO’s new mission reinforcing its eastern flank, after a series of suspected Russian drones entered Poland and Romania airspaces according to the Italian ANSA news agency on Tuesday.
A Serbian prosecutor on Tuesday indicted 13 people, including a former minister over their role in a railway station roof collapse last year that killed 16 people and triggered months of nationwide anti-government protests.
The eighth Congress of World and Traditional Religious Leaders has commenced in Astana, bringing together around 100 delegations from 60 countries.
Russia and Belarus are rehearsing the launch of Russian tactical nuclear weapons as part of joint war games, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment