Happy Monday!  It’s May 6, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: SEC issues Robinhood crypto with Wells Notice, France opens probe of TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack, bribery charge against U.S. congressman implicates Mexico’s Azteca, dangerous high-ranking cartel member known as ‘The Scorpion’ extradited to U.S., and much more...        

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🎯 SEC issues Robinhood Crypto with Wells Notice. The SEC anticipates filing an enforcement action over securities violations. Block 

🔐 SEC’s Gensler turns tide against crypto in courts Politico

Top Stories

🌎 France opens probe of TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack. French prosecutors are investigating oil giant TotalEnergies for involuntary manslaughter in connection with a jihadist attack. AFP

🌎 Bribery Charge Against US Congressman Implicates Mexico’s Azteca. An executive of Mexico’s Banco Azteca helped arrange payments to Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar in exchange for influence in Washington. Bloomberg

🌎 Dangerous high-ranking cartel member known as ‘The Scorpion’ extradited to the U.S. El Bayeh was a known top associate of the prolific CJNG. NYP

🌎 Pro-Palestinian protesters are backed by Biden’s biggest donors. Some of the most outspoken groups against Biden and Israel get funding from foundations attached to some of the biggest names in Democratic circles. Politico

💥 Radical anti-Israel nonprofit urged rampaging Columbia occupiers to recreate BLM ‘summer of 2020’ riots NYP

🌎 Top US Treasury official to visit Singapore, Malaysia to discuss sanctions. There’s been an uptick in money moving to Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, through the Malaysian financial system. Straits Times

🌎 Boeing: The latest U.S. company to suffer from Russian sanctions. The fact that Russian sanctions can create such severe problems for a core strategic industry shows how dangerous strategies such as “de-risking” and “decoupling” from China are. UnHerd

🌎 Armed Gazan gangs, some thought tied to Hamas, steal $70M from Bank of Palestine. Funds were taken from the vaults of several branches in the Strip by groups armed with explosives, commandos who answer to ‘Gaza’s highest authorities. AFP

🌎 The Dictator’s Son Wanted His Yacht Back. That’s When Trouble Started for Two Oilmen. Diplomats say drug charges against foreigners in Equatorial Guinea smack of payback by vice president. WSJ

🌎 BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy. Vinnik was first arrested in 2017, but faced a lengthy extradition process that saw him spend time in Greece and France before being sent to the U.S. CoinDesk

IN THE NEWS

China

🇨🇳 China’s gold-buying spree could be the straw that breaks the dollar’s back Telegraph

🇨🇳 America’s War Machine Runs on Rare-Earth Magnets. China Owns That Market. WSJ

🇨🇳 Europe is nowhere close to banning TikTok Politico

🇨🇳 As China and Iran hunt for dissidents in the US, the FBI is racing to counter the threat AP

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 Jailed Binance exec, $35M money laundering case, and an Interpol manhunt — how Nigeria’s crypto crisis unfolded DL News

🔐 Exploiter Steals $68M Worth of Crypto Through Address Poisoning CoinDesk

🔐 More Than 90% of Stablecoin Transactions Aren’t From Real Users Bloomberg

🔐 Former Cred Executives Indicted on Wire Fraud, Other Charges CoinDesk

🔐 LockBit's seized darknet site resurrected by police, teasing new revelations Record

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Russia

🇷🇺 To prevent Georgia going down Putin’s path, sanction the country’s Russian puppets Hill

🇷🇺 How Western sanctions are strangling Putin’s Arctic gas ambitions Bloomberg

🇷🇺 Putin Critic Warns Kremlin Will Seize More Assets to Punish Foes Bloomberg

🇷🇺 Russia adds Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to wanted list DW

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Ukraine Tightens Military Procurement After Corruption Shakeup Bloomberg

💸 Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing Reuters

💸 Religious and political ‘debanking’ must end Washington Times

💸 New Claim Puts ‘WaPo’ Boss Will Lewis in Crosshairs of Murdoch Scandal Daily Beast

💸 Everton FC Buyer Accused of Fraud, Double-Pledging Assets in Lawsuit Bloomberg

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Trafficking

🚚 A Phantom’s Tale: The Coyote Influencer on TikTok Bellingcat

🚚 India: Afghan consul quits after reports of gold smuggling DW

🚚 Border Patrol sector stops hundreds of Chinese illegal immigrants in just two days as numbers soar Fox

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