The Axie Infinity Hack: When North Korea's Lazarus Group Infiltrated the Metaverse

In March 2022, the world witnessed one of the most audacious cryptocurrency heists in history when North Korea's elite Lazarus Group orchestrated the theft of over $620 million from Axie Infinity's Ronin Network. This attack not only marked a watershed moment in crypto security but also

The Comanchero Connection: How Greed Transformed a Trusted Lawyer into a Money Laundering Machine

How a previously respectable Auckland solicitor's opportunistic greed enabled one of New Zealand's most significant gang money laundering operations

Silk Road: The Dark Web Empire That Revolutionised Digital Money Laundering

In the darkweb, where anonymity reigned supreme and traditional law enforcement struggled to penetrate, a young libertarian named Ross Ulbricht built an empire that would forever change how the world viewed cryptocurrency, privacy, and digital crime. The Silk Road wasn't just a marketplace—it was a revolution that

The Newmarket Money Lady: When Naivety Becomes Criminal Recklessness

How wilful blindness to obvious warning signs enabled New Zealand's largest money laundering operation

The Repeat Offender: How Status Anxiety Drove a Disgraced Lawyer Back to Financial Crime

When professional disgrace collides with lifestyle pressure, the result can be a dangerous return to the very behaviours that destroyed a career in the first place

How Addiction Transformed ASB's Role Model into a $3 Million Money Launderer

When functional addiction meets professional privilege, the result can be catastrophic for both the individual and the financial institution that trusted them

When Trust and Ambition Corrupted a Mother and Son's Finance Empire

How a trusted relationship with a charismatic businessman transformed a small Auckland money remittance firm into the centrepiece of New Zealand's landmark anti-money laundering prosecution In the cramped offices of Jiaxin Finance above a shop in Auckland's CBD, 65-year-old Fuqin Che would arrive each morning to

Tornado Cash, DAOs, and the First Amendment: A Legal Paradox

Who goes to court for money laundering for a decentralised autonomous organisation?

The Origins of Money Laundering: From Renaissance Banking to Modern Crime

Money laundering—the process of concealing the origins of illegally obtained funds—has roots that stretch back centuries, evolving from legitimate banking practices into sophisticated criminal enterprises. Understanding its history reveals how financial innovation and criminal ingenuity have long walked hand in hand. Renaissance Foundations: The Birth of Financial Subterfuge