Source: Cointelegraph
Original: “Former SEC Chairman Leads Southern District of New York Court, Harshly Criticizes $12 Million Cryptocurrency Fraud Case”

Jay Clayton, recently appointed as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has begun making statements regarding criminal cases involving cryptocurrency fraud.

In an announcement on April 23, the U.S. Attorney's Office stated that Eugene William Austin, also known as Hugh Austin, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines. His son Brandon was also sentenced to 4 years. The Austins provided fraudulent cryptocurrency investment services, resulting in losses of approximately $12 million for over 24 victims.

“For years, Hugh Austin has been a mastermind of a fraud and money laundering scheme, defrauding over $12 million from more than twenty victims,” Clayton stated. “Austin involved his son in the crime, deceiving victims together and using investors' funds for personal expenses such as luxury hotels… Austin will now be held accountable for the harm he caused to individual investors and others.”

This criminal case involving digital assets marks Clayton's first public statement since taking office as interim U.S. Attorney on April 22. President Trump nominated Clayton when he took office on January 20. Subsequently, acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned after the Justice Department instructed her to halt the investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Is the nation's "sovereign territory" controlled by Trump's appointees?

Under current law, Clayton can serve as the interim U.S. Attorney for the district for 120 days without Senate confirmation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blocked a vote on Clayton's nomination, stating that Trump has “no loyalty to the law.”

Clayton is likely to continue serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York during the sentencing hearing for former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky and may be responsible for other criminal cases involving cryptocurrency. The district is home to Wall Street firms and many of the most influential financial institutions in the United States.

Related: SEC Attempts to Dismiss Securities Lawsuit Against Dragonchain for Cryptocurrency ICO

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。