Illegal – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Wed, 18 Jun 2025 02:00:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Illegal – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 Russian Authorities Discover 30,000sqm Illegal Crypto Mining Farm in Industrial Plant https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russian-authorities-discover-30000sqm-illegal-crypto-mining-farm-in-industrial-plant/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russian-authorities-discover-30000sqm-illegal-crypto-mining-farm-in-industrial-plant/#respond Wed, 18 Jun 2025 02:00:07 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russian-authorities-discover-30000sqm-illegal-crypto-mining-farm-in-industrial-plant/

Author

Tim Alper

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked…

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Russian prosecutors say they have shut down a 30,000 sqm crypto mining farm illegally operating in an industrial plant located on state-owned property.

Per a Telegram post from the official account of the Krasnoyarsk Krai Prosecutor’s Office, the “open-air” facility was located in the town of Nazarovo, some 240 km west of Krasnoyarsk, in Central Siberia.

The office said it had obtained a court order allowing bailiffs to raid the facility. The farm reportedly mined coins worth around 4.6 million rubles ($58,672) per month for its operators.

Crypto Mining Farm ‘Used Scores of Transformers and Generators’

Prosecutors explained that the operators had fenced off the facility with barbed wire. However, its location was nothing if not conspicuous. They wrote: “The farm was right out in the open air in the town’s industrial hub district.”

Officially, the site was registered as a “non-residential building” under the name of a management company.

However, when investigators conducted their raid, they found several transformers on the premises. They also discovered power generators, cooling equipment, and crypto mining rigs.

The management firm, prosecutors said, leased the property to a crypto mining firm, along with a “non-existent building.” The miner had reportedly connected their rigs to the city’s power grid.

Prosecutors said they received a tip-off from an energy provider. The latter reported that it had detected a high probability of emergency power outages at the facility.

When they investigated, the prosecutors discovered that the company had not obtained permission to operate power-receiving units or use state-owned land.

They also found that the miners were not complying with fire safety requirements, which constituted a public safety risk.

An illegal crypto mining farm in Nazarovo, Russia.

Operator Ignored Prosecutors’ Warnings

The office said it initially wrote to the firm to ask it to desist, adding that the operator “ignored” this request.

The prosecution service responded by petitioning a district court, which responded by banning all activity at the facility “until the violations are rectified.”

In February this year, a staffer at a Krasnoyarsk Krai energy provider was discovered taking bribes worth $7,380 from illegal crypto miners.

The staffer agreed to turn a blind eye to the miners’ operations and their illegal connections to the grid.

The same miners stole electricity worth about 9.4 million rubles ($119,592) from the Krasnoyarsk Krai energy system, investigators found.

According to the Federal Tax Service’s registry of crypto miners, Krasnoyarsk Krai is one of Russia’s top three crypto mining regions, along with the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Tatarstan.


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Russia Set to Fine, Confiscate Coins from Illegal Crypto Miners https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russia-set-to-fine-confiscate-coins-from-illegal-crypto-miners/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russia-set-to-fine-confiscate-coins-from-illegal-crypto-miners/#respond Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:03:14 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/russia-set-to-fine-confiscate-coins-from-illegal-crypto-miners/

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Cryptonews has covered the cryptocurrency industry topics since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights to our readers. Our journalists and analysts have extensive experience in market analysis and blockchain technologies. We strive to maintain high editorial standards, focusing on factual accuracy and balanced reporting across all areas – from cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects to industry events, products, and technological developments. Our ongoing presence in the industry reflects our commitment to delivering relevant information in the evolving world of digital assets. Read more about Cryptonews

Illegal crypto miners operating in Russia could lose their coins and face heavy fines under new rules formulated by the nation’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media.

Per a report from Forbes Russia, the ministry says its proposal is currently undergoing interdepartmental review.

However, if the plans are adopted as-is, Russian law agencies and courts will be given the power to seize crypto from illegal miners.

Russia: Miners May Be Fined for Flaunting Bans

Under the new proposal, Russian judges will also be able to punish individuals engaging in illegal mining. Courts will be able to hand out fines worth between 100,000 to 200,000 rubles ($1,272 to $2,544).

Maksut Shadayev, the Russian Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media, speaking at the Federation Council earlier this year.

Forbes Russia says it has seen the ministry’s proposal. It says Moscow also wants to fine and confiscate crypto from any individual found illegally participating in a mining pool.

Harsher fines still lie in store for solo entrepreneurs and officials. This group will have to pay between 200,000 and 400,000 rubles ($2,544 to $5088) if convicted.

Authorities will also gain the power to take coins from industrial miners who flaunt crypto mining rules.

The new rules will let courts impose a fine of 1 million ($12,728) to 2 million rubles ($25,456) on corporations involved in illegal mining.

The ministry wants to amend the country’s Code of Administrative Offenses, seeking to effectively make illegal mining a criminal offense.

A graph showing BTC hashrate distribution amongst the largest known mining pools over the past four days.

Crypto Payments Could Also Be Criminalized

Under a law that came into force last year, unregistered Russian individuals can mine crypto at home, provided they do not use more than 6,000 kWh per month.

However, in some 10 Russian and Russian-controlled regions, mining restrictions apply. The law also states that people with unexpunged convictions for economic crimes, or those convicted of extremist or terrorist crimes, cannot mine crypto.

The law also bans certain electricity and grid management firms from mining crypto.

Additionally, the ministry plans to punish individuals and firms for making settlements in crypto in Russia outside the Central Bank-run crypto sandbox.

The ministry’s proposals include plans to fine people and firms who use crypto as a payment tool up to 1 million rubles ($12,728).

The Central Bank, however, appears to think that the threat of confiscating coins from people who seek to do business in crypto will be a bigger deterrent.

Andrey Medvedev, the bank’s Legal Department lead, told attendees at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum last month:

“The key thing is that the [crypto] illegally used as a means of payment will be confiscated. And this will be the most painful thing.”

No New Russian Mining Bans

The draft law also include clauses pertaining to mining infrastructure operators who fail to declare their operations to the anti-money laundering agency Rosfinmonitoring.

In Russia, the term mining infrastructure operators usually refers to data center providers and crypto mining hotel firms.

The law requires these firms to inform Rosfinmonitoring about the crypto mined at their facilities, as well as their crypto wallet identifier addresses.

The development comes just days after the government decided against imposing new mining bans in more of Russia’s regions.

A government energy commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, ruled against a proposal to ban mining in Khakassia.

The commission also decided to postpone a proposed year-round ban on mining in the Zabaikalsky Krai and Buryatia regions.

This year, Moscow has approved a year-round ban on crypto mining in the southern part of the nation’s de facto Bitcoin mining capital Irkutsk.


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Crypto Remains Illegal in Pakistan Despite State-Led Bitcoin Initiatives https://earlybirdsinvest.com/crypto-remains-illegal-in-pakistan-despite-state-led-bitcoin-initiatives/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/crypto-remains-illegal-in-pakistan-despite-state-led-bitcoin-initiatives/#respond Fri, 30 May 2025 08:54:43 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/crypto-remains-illegal-in-pakistan-despite-state-led-bitcoin-initiatives/

Author

Jai Pratap

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Jai Pratap

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Jai serves as the Asia Desk Editor for Cryptonews.com, where he leads a diverse team of international reporters. Jai has over five years of experience covering the web3 industry.

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Why Trust Cryptonews

Cryptonews has covered the cryptocurrency industry topics since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights to our readers. Our journalists and analysts have extensive experience in market analysis and blockchain technologies. We strive to maintain high editorial standards, focusing on factual accuracy and balanced reporting across all areas – from cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects to industry events, products, and technological developments. Our ongoing presence in the industry reflects our commitment to delivering relevant information in the evolving world of digital assets. Read more about Cryptonews

Despite increasing government-backed initiatives promoting Bitcoin adoption, Pakistan’s top financial authorities the State Bank and Ministry of Finance clarified on Thursday that cryptocurrency remains banned, with all related transactions deemed illegal under existing laws.

As per local media reports, during a recent meeting official meeting on Finance and Revenue, Finance Secretary Imdadullah Bosal clarified that although the prime minister has established a Crypto Council, led by the finance minister through an executive order to explore digital asset policy, the country’s cryptocurrency ban remains firmly in place under regulations set by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)

The central bank issued a directive in 2024 declaring Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies illegal, a position that remains unchanged.

Pakistan’s Crypto Council CEO Bilal Bin Saqib, who was recently named as PM’s assistant on crypto and blockchain, announced at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas that the country is moving ahead with a Bitcoin reserve.

Officials Highlight Crypto Policy Inconsistency

Committee members voiced concern over the government’s inconsistency in regards to crypto policy, questioning why the public was being encouraged to invest in crypto despite its legal ban, warning that such actions could expose investors to serious risks.

Recently Pakistan’s government announced to allocate 2,000 megawatts of electricity to power Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. Committee members raised questions about whether the bitcoin mining would be in government or private sector hands, and noted that illegal hawala channels would likely be replaced by unregulated digital transfers.

The State Bank of Pakistan does not recognize crypto assets. In 2022, the SBP issued an official advisory urging the public to exercise caution and avoid trading in cryptocurrencies.

The committee’s debate on cryptocurrency was sparked by a proposed bill on digital currency regulations introduced by MNA Sharmila Farooqi. She emphasized the urgent need for a regulatory framework to curb potential money laundering risks, particularly in light of Pakistan’s recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.


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The Supreme Court signals it’s lost patience with Trump’s illegal deportations https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-supreme-court-signals-its-lost-patience-with-trumps-illegal-deportations/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-supreme-court-signals-its-lost-patience-with-trumps-illegal-deportations/#respond Sun, 20 Apr 2025 09:41:04 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/the-supreme-court-signals-its-lost-patience-with-trumps-illegal-deportations/

Shortly after midnight early Saturday morning, the Supreme Court handed down a brief order forbidding the Trump administration from removing a group of Venezuelan immigrants from the United States without due process.

The facts of this case, known as A.A.R.P. v. Trump, are uncertain and rapidly developing. Much of what we do know about the A.A.R.P. case comes from an emergency application filed by immigration lawyers at the ACLU late Friday night. According to that application, the government started moving Venezuelan immigrants around the United States to a detention facility in Texas, without offering much of an explanation about why it was doing so.

Sometime on Friday, an unknown number of these immigrants — the ACLU claims “dozens or hundreds” — were allegedly given an English-language document, despite the fact that many of them only speak Spanish, indicating that they’ve been designated for removal from the country under the Alien Enemies Act. That law only permits the government to deport people during a time of war or military invasion, but President Donald Trump has claimed that it gives him the power to remove Venezuelans who, he alleges, are members of a criminal gang.

Immigrants who were previously deported under this dubious legal justification were sent to a prison in El Salvador, which is known for widespread human rights abuses. Following those deportations, the Supreme Court ruled the government must give any immigrant whom Trump attempts to deport under this wartime statute “notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal.”

The ACLU lawyers argue the government is attempting to defy this order, claiming that the immigrants at the Texas facility were told that their “removals are imminent and will happen today” — a timeline that did not provide a real opportunity to challenge their removal. In a Friday hearing on the matter, the government did not give an exact timeline for deportations, but said it “reserve[d] the right” to deport the immigrants as soon as Saturday, and that the government was in compliance with the Supreme Court’s first order.

Assuming that the facts in the ACLU’s application are correct, this rushed process, where immigrants are moved to a facility without explanation, given a last-minute notice that many of them do not understand, and then potentially sent to El Salvador before they have a meaningful opportunity to challenge that removal, does seem to violate the Supreme Court’s April 7 decision in Trump v. J.G.G.

The Court’s late-night order in A.A.R.P. appears to be crafted to ensure that this notice and opportunity for a hearing mandated by J.G.G. actually takes place. It is just one paragraph and states that “the Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.” It also invites the Justice Department to respond to the ACLU’s application “as soon as possible.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the A.A.R.P. order. Though neither has explained why yet, the order says that a statement from Alito will come soon.

Thus far, the Supreme Court has been extraordinarily tolerant of Trump’s efforts to evade judicial review through hypertechnical procedural arguments. Though the J.G.G. decision required the Trump administration to give these Venezuelan immigrants a hearing, for example, it also guaranteed that many — likely most — of those hearings would take place in Texas, which has some of the most right-wing federal judges in the country.

Though it is just one order, Saturday’s post-midnight order suggests that the Court may no longer tolerate procedural shenanigans intended to evade meaningful judicial review. If the ACLU’s application is accurate, the Trump administration appears to have believed that it could comply with the Court’s decision in J.G.G. by giving men who are about to be deported a last-minute notice that many of them cannot even understand. Whether most of the justices choose to tolerate this kind of malicious half-compliance with their decisions will likely become clear in the coming days. The Court’s A.A.R.P. order suggests that they will not.

Still, it remains to be seen how this case will play out once it is fully litigated. The post-midnight order is only temporary. And it leaves open all of the most important issues in this case, including whether Trump can rely on a wartime statute to deport people during peacetime.

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Bank of America Handing $2,850,000 To Customers in Settlement Over Alleged Illegal Fees and Account Restrictions https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bank-of-america-handing-2850000-to-customers-in-settlement-over-alleged-illegal-fees-and-account-restrictions/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bank-of-america-handing-2850000-to-customers-in-settlement-over-alleged-illegal-fees-and-account-restrictions/#respond Sat, 12 Apr 2025 04:02:42 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/bank-of-america-handing-2850000-to-customers-in-settlement-over-alleged-illegal-fees-and-account-restrictions/

Bank of America has agreed to a settlement that will require the second-largest US bank to shell out about $2.85 million to current and former customers.

The class action lawsuit alleged BofA violated New York’s Exempt Income Protection Act (EIPA) by mishandling and charging improper fees to customers who had been slapped with court-order restraints.

Specifically, the lawsuit says that BofA grouped multiple accounts together before calculating how much of the customers’ funds were legally protected, leading to more funds being frozen than allowed by law.

The lawsuit also alleged BofA issued checks to debtors for the exempt amount by regular mail, meaning that the class members faced delays in accessing the money needed for daily expenses.

BofA has agreed to the terms of the settlement without admitting to any wrongdoing. On top of the multi-million-dollar payout, BofA says it is permanently changing its practices, including:

  • Stopping aggregating accounts when computing how much money is protected by law.
  • Notifying account holders of their rights if their accounts had been restrained.
  • Halting the practice of issuing checks for exempt funds so customers can access their money as needed via debit cards, online bank transfers and others.

The settlement is subject to court approval.

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Thailand seizes 63 illegal crypto mining rigs that stole over $327k in electricity https://earlybirdsinvest.com/thailand-seizes-63-illegal-crypto-mining-rigs-that-stole-over-327k-in-electricity/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/thailand-seizes-63-illegal-crypto-mining-rigs-that-stole-over-327k-in-electricity/#respond Sun, 16 Mar 2025 17:57:28 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/thailand-seizes-63-illegal-crypto-mining-rigs-that-stole-over-327k-in-electricity/

Officials of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) seized 63 illegal crypto mining machines on Friday, according to a report by The Nation. The illegal crypto mining rigs, worth around 2 million baht ($60,000), were found in three abandoned houses in the Pathum Thani province.

Officials conducted a raid after locals of the region complained about unidentified individuals stealing electricity from the region’s utility poles and transformers. The locals suspected that the stolen electricity was being used for cryptocurrency mining operations hidden in abandoned buildings.

Crypto mining requires massive amounts of electricity. Authorities estimate that the illicit mining rigs caused losses worth over 11 million baht (over $327 million) to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority.

The illegal mining rigs were controlled remotely

Police officials said that along with the mining rigs, they also confiscated three crypto mining controllers, three routers, three internet signal boosters, three modified electricity metres, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and two bank passbooks. No arrests were made as the mining operations were being controlled remotely.

Officials found evidence, however, that the illicit operation had ties to a luxury house in Ram-Indra Soi 65 in Bangkok’s Khan Na Yao district. The CIB officials have requested a search warrant to raid the linked residence and locate the ring leader and other accomplices.

Authorities noted that besides causing damages to the electricity department, the illegal mining rigs also posed a major fire hazard. This is because the operations utilized high amounts of power but had no human monitoring.

Thailand has been plagued with illegal mining operations

Bitcoin miners are treated as manufacturers in Thailand and are subject to associated taxes. However, illegal crypto mining has been a rampant problem across Thailand and Southeast Asia for years.

In a raid conducted in January, authorities seized 996 illegal Bitcoin (BTC) mining rigs from the Phanat Nikhom district in Thailand.

In November 2024, authorities shut down nine illegal Bitcoin mining farms in the Surat Thani province. The farms were estimated to have stolen electricity worth nearly $300,000.

Similarly, in August, authorities raided a town west of Bangkok and found evidence of illegal crypto mining after locals complained about power outages.

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Illegal Bitcoin Mining Operation Exposed After Fire Erupts in Malaysian Home https://earlybirdsinvest.com/illegal-bitcoin-mining-operation-exposed-after-fire-erupts-in-malaysian-home/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/illegal-bitcoin-mining-operation-exposed-after-fire-erupts-in-malaysian-home/#respond Sun, 16 Feb 2025 20:17:10 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/illegal-bitcoin-mining-operation-exposed-after-fire-erupts-in-malaysian-home/


Malaysia was rocked by an unexpected discovery on Tuesday when an explosion and billowing smoke from a house along Lorong Cekara Purnama, Bandar Puncak Alam, led authorities to uncover an illegal bitcoin mining operation.

The latest development comes as the Southeast Asian country continues to battle unauthorized crypto mining, which has caused significant financial losses and strains on the country’s power infrastructure.

Electrical Fire Exposes Illegal Operation

Sungai Buloh district police chief, Superintendent Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor, revealed that 14 volunteer firefighters from Saujana Utama and Bestari Jaya were dispatched after a local woman reported the incident to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters at 11:41 a.m. on February 11th.

Upon arrival, both firefighters and patrolling police officers had to forcibly enter the unoccupied house, where they found the fire originating from a room filled with modified electrical circuits. They had been illegally connected to the power grid and had short-circuited which caused the blaze.

After extinguishing the fire on the evening of Tuesday, a joint investigation by the police and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) personnel revealed the house had been illegally drawing electricity for bitcoin mining. Authorities seized nine Bitcoin mining rigs, nine blower fans, and a D-link router.

The latest case shed light on yet another instance of illicit cryptocurrency operations that have been growing in frequency across Malaysia.

Bitcoin Miners Stealing Electricity in Malaysia

Between 2018 and 2023, Malaysia lost approximately $723 million due to unauthorized electricity use for crypto mining. Deputy Minister Akmal Nasir had then stated that miners exploit unmetered power, but energy providers have detection methods. In an October 2022 crackdown, authorities seized and destroyed over 2,000 uncertified mining devices worth $467K.

Despite these losses, cryptocurrency mining itself is not illegal in Malaysia but electricity theft in the country is a serious offense that carries penalties of up to RM100,000 ($21,000) in fines or five years in prison.

Last August, Malaysian authorities arrested seven individuals – three locals and four foreigners – for allegedly stealing electricity for Bitcoin mining. The Sepang District Police Chief confirmed that none had prior criminal records. Officials seized 52 mining rigs and electronic devices worth around $57,000.

The same month, Malaysian authorities destroyed 985 seized mining rigs worth $452,500 by crushing them with a steamroller. These machines were confiscated during enforcement operations from 2022 to April 2024.

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