Hello!  It’s May 2, and we’re tracking today's top stories: U.S. imposes slew of sanctions on companies in China for support of Russia's war, surprise arrest and corruption scandal hints at splits in Putin's inner circle, Panda Restaurants discloses data breach, major law firms launch lawsuit against U.S. groups supporting Hamas, and much more...

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🎯 U.S. imposes sanctions on more than a dozen companies in China for support of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The sanctions aim to crack down on sanctions evasion and support for Russia’s military-industrial base and biological and chemical weapons programs. CNN 

Top Stories

🌎 Surprise arrest and a corruption scandal hint at splits in Putin's inner circle. A corruption scandal centered on allegations against Russia’s deputy defense minister has drawn surprise and speculation from close observers of the country’s elite. NBC

🌎 Panda Restaurants discloses data breach after corporate systems hack. Panda Express is the largest Chinese fast-food chain in the United States, with over $3B in sales and 47,000 associates. Bleepingcomputer

🌎 Major Law Firms Represent Victims of Hamas Oct. 7 Terrorist Attack Against AJP Educational Foundation and National Students for Justice in Palestine. Lawsuit alleges that AMP and NSJP work in the U.S. as collaborators and propagandists for Hamas. GreenbergTraurig

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🌎 JP Morgan’s Russia assets may be seized after lawsuits in Russia, US. A Russian court last month ordered the seizure of funds in JPMorgan accounts after Russian state-owned bank VTB sued to regain its funds blocked abroad. Reuters

📌 JP Morgan to pay $100M to U.S. regulator over trade reporting gaps Reuters

🌎 Huawei Lab Barred by U.S. Regulators as Part of Crackdown on China. The proposal would prohibit companies on the so-called covered list of prohibited entities from taking part in equipment authorizations. Bloomberg

🌎 Vast New Data Set Could Supercharge the AI Hunt for Crypto Money Laundering. Industry players release new AI model – and the 200-million-transaction dataset it's trained on – that aims to spot the “shape” of bitcoin money laundering. Wired

🌎 Federal prosecutors are examining financial transactions at Block, owner of Cash App and Square. Internal documents indicate Block processed crypto transactions for terrorist groups and Square processed transactions involving nations subject to economic sanctions. NBC

🌎 Commercial real estate is attractive target for billions in laundered cash. Since the days of the Cocaine Cowboys, South Florida’s high-end properties have long been an attractive target for money launderers. MH

🌎 Scheme to Transfer Money to Iran Results in Guilty Pleas. Zaidi and Naqvi arranged for funds to be exported from the U.S. to Iran’s Office of the Supreme Leader. DOJ

IN THE NEWS

Russia

🇷🇺 U.S., allies press UAE over Russia trade, sanctions Reuters

🇷🇺 Belarus firm accused of bypassing UK sanctions BBC

🇷🇺 U.S. State Dept Says Oil Service Firm SLB Not Violating Russia Sanctions Reuters

🇷🇺 Regional Leader Of Sanctioned Russian Organization Pleads Guilty To Lying To FBI DOJ

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China

🇨🇳 Ralph Baric, Whose Virology Techniques Were Used in Wuhan, Testified That Lab Leak Was Possible VF

🇨🇳 Chinese money laundering criminals team up with Mexican cartels to menace US Fox

🇨🇳 Delusions of strong-arming China into compliance are dangerous Hill

🇨🇳 U.S. to probe GoPro claims Chinese firm violated its patents Reuters

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Rare Editions of Pushkin Are Vanishing From Libraries Around Europe NYT

💸 Anglo takeover attempt triggers corruption claims against South Africa’s ruling party Telegraph

💸 With Latest Resignations, Vietnam’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Intensifies Diplomat

💸 Manhattan Man Charged With Running $43M Ponzi Scheme DOJ

📌 AML/CFT: Supervision Report 2022-23 UK Government

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 House Speaker Opposes Fast-Tracking Pot Banking, Stablecoin Bills Bloomberg

🔐 Member of ransomware gang sentenced to 13 years in prison over 2021 attack CNN

🔐 Dropbox says hacker accessed passwords, authentication info during breach Record

🔐 Zelensky Sacks Senior Cybersecurity Officer Amid Corruption Allegations RFE

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Trafficking

🚚 Deadly human smuggling through Mexico thrives in ‘perfect cycle of impunity’ ICIJ

🚚 Migrant with ISIS ties was living in the U.S. for more than two years NBC

🚚 EU, UN reschedule launch of anti-human trafficking project in Cambodia after questions about venue AP

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