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Crypto enforcement: market manipulation

29 US enforcement actions involving market manipulation in crypto since January 2024.

29 actions since January 2024

DateAgencyActionStageFigure
06 Aug 2026DOJFounder of crypto market maker MyTrade sentenced to a $10,000 fine for conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud via wash trading.Sentence$10,000 penalty
03 Aug 2026SECSEC filed a proposed settlement of crypto wash-trading manipulation claims against Gotbit Consulting and dismissed claims against its founder.Settlement—
30 Mar 2026DOJTen employees of four crypto market makers were charged with wash trading pump-and-dump schemes; three were extradited from Singapore.Criminal charge$1.0m forfeiture
05 Mar 2026SECSEC filed a proposed settlement with Rainberry over TRX wash trading, with a $10 million penalty, and dismissed all remaining claims.Settlement$10.0m penalty
15 Jul 2025SECCourt denied a former controlling shareholder's motion to dismiss SEC insider trading claims tied to Long Island Iced Tea's blockchain pivot.Other action$160,000 alleged fraud
13 Jun 2025DOJCrypto market maker Gotbit and its founder were sentenced for wash trading; founder gets 8 months and the firm forfeits about $23 million.Sentence$23.0m forfeiture
16 May 2025DOJAn Alabama man was sentenced to 14 months for a SIM swap that hijacked the SEC's X account to post a fake Bitcoin ETF approval.Sentence$50,000 forfeiture
17 Apr 2025SECUAE crypto market maker CLS Global consented to a final judgment with a $425,000 penalty over alleged manipulation of NexFundAI.Settlement$425,000 penalty
02 Apr 2025DOJCrypto market maker CLS Global sentenced to pay $428,059 and three years' probation for wash trading the NexFundAI token.Sentence$428,059 penalty
27 Mar 2025DOJUS filed civil forfeiture action to recover about $23 million in stablecoins seized from market maker Gotbit after its guilty plea.Seizure or forfeiture$23.0m forfeiture
21 Mar 2025DOJCrypto market maker Gotbit and its founder pleaded guilty to wash trading fraud; the firm agreed to forfeit about $23 million in crypto.Guilty plea$23.0m forfeiture
26 Feb 2025DOJThe founder of crypto market maker Gotbit was extradited from Portugal to face charges of wash-trading market manipulation and wire fraud.Criminal charge—
10 Feb 2025DOJAn Alabama man pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a SIM swap hack of the SEC's X account that posted a fake Bitcoin ETF approval.Guilty plea$50,000
21 Jan 2025DOJCLS Global agreed to plead guilty to crypto wash trading charges, pay $428,059, and exit U.S. crypto markets.Guilty plea$428,059 penalty
20 Dec 2024SECTai Mo Shan agreed to pay $123 million to settle SEC charges it misled investors about TerraUSD stability and acted as an unregistered LUNA underwriter.Settlement$123.0m penalty
31 Oct 2024DOJFounder of crypto market maker Gotbit indicted in superseding indictment for alleged wash trading and wire fraud conspiracy.Criminal charge—
30 Oct 2024DOJFounder of crypto market maker MyTrade pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud via wash trading bots.Guilty plea—
15 Oct 2024SECSEC charges crypto market maker ZM Quant and two employees with allegedly manipulating markets for crypto assets through wash trading.Civil action—
15 Oct 2024SECSEC sues crypto market maker Gotbit and an employee for allegedly manipulating the market for the Robo Inu crypto asset via wash trading.Civil action—
15 Oct 2024SECSEC charges UAE market maker CLS Global and an employee with allegedly manipulating trading in the NexFundAI crypto asset.Civil action—
15 Oct 2024SECSEC charged a California crypto promoter with manipulating markets for Saitama Inu and Robo Inu; she consented to a bifurcated settlement.Settlement—
09 Oct 2024SECSEC charged three purported crypto market makers and nine individuals with manipulating markets for crypto assets sold as securities.Civil action—
09 Oct 2024DOJEighteen individuals and entities, including crypto token firms and market makers, were charged in Boston over alleged wash trading and pump-and-dump schemes.Criminal charge$25.0m forfeiture
24 Sept 2024SECSEC obtained a consented final judgment and $75,000 penalty against a Canadian man in Long Blockchain insider trading case.Settlement$75,000 penalty
25 Jun 2024DOJA former crypto company CEO and its finance head were sentenced to prison for manipulating the price of the HYDRO token.Sentence$2.0m alleged fraud
18 Apr 2024DOJA Puerto Rico man was convicted by a jury of manipulating Mango Markets to obtain about $110 million in cryptocurrency.Conviction$110.0m stolen
11 Mar 2024SECSEC obtained a default judgment against a friend of a former Coinbase manager for insider trading ahead of crypto listing announcements.Civil action$1.6m penalty
07 Feb 2024DOJA Pennsylvania man was convicted by a jury of conspiring to manipulate the price of Hydrogen Technology's HYDRO token via spoof and wash trades.Conviction$300.0m alleged fraud
03 Jan 2024SECA California man consented to a final judgment and a $325,000 penalty for insider trading ahead of Long Blockchain's pivot announcement.Settlement$325,000 penalty

Each row is one published step in a case, linked to its source document, so a case can appear again as it moves from charge to plea to sentence. Where one step was announced twice within days, it counts once. Justice Department rows are press releases whose headline names crypto. Figures are the main amount each document states, and for charges they are allegations. Allegations are unproven unless a conviction, plea or settlement is stated. Summaries and stages are machine-read from the document and checked automatically, so the linked document is the authority.

Cite this Bitminer.io, “Crypto enforcement: market manipulation”, data to 2 November 2026, https://bitminer.io/ledger/enforcement/scheme/market-manipulation/. How this is built