Moonday Mornings: The US is suing a cryptocurrency exchange owner to the tune of $100M

Good morning, and welcome to Moonday Mornings.

Let’s take a look at the cryptocurrency and blockchain headlines from over the weekend.

1. The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is going after digital asset traders and has begun sending them letters asking that they report their cryptocurrency holdings and pay their taxes, CoinDesk reports. The IRS said the individuals targeted with the letters were identified “through various ongoing IRS compliance efforts.” Hide your Bitcoin people!

2. According to Gulfnews, the US is suing and seeking extradition of the Russian owner of a cryptocurrency exchange (BTC-e) for violating the Bank Secrecy Act, and is attempting to recover $100 million in penalties. The Russian was charged in 2017 for stealing Bitcoin from other cryptocurrency exchanges.

3. Co-owner of Polish cryptocurrency exchange Bitmarket, Tobiasz Niemiro, has been found dead in a forest near his hometown of Olsztyn, Decrypt reports. The news comes less than a month after Bitmarket closed down on July 8 under “suspicious circumstances.” The exact details surrounding his death have not been confirmed.

4. A gang of two masked attackers held a 30-year old cryptocurrency trader at gunpoint in the Austrian town of Wels last week. The gang targeted the man at his office and managed to extort an unknown sum of cash and cryptocurrency. The victim was left handcuffed and had to free himself, Austrian news outlet ORF reports.

And finally…

5. US telecom company Verizon looks to be getting into the blockchain game. The company is currently listing more than 30 jobs on its careers website that in someway require knowledge of, or experience with blockchain and Hyperledger. If Verizon fills all these positions, it could secure the firm a spot as one of the world’s top blockchain employers.

Well, there you have it. Another weekend’s headlines caught up with, now you can get on with your week in peace.