Alleged Crypto Scam Kingpin Arrested in Cambodia After $12 Billion Bitcoin Seizure Chen Zhi, the alleged mastermind of a “pig butchering” crypto fraud ring, has been arrested in Cambodia, according to the information provided. Zhi was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in October and charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Separate…
**NC Appeals Court Dismisses Meth Conviction Challenges** North Carolina’s Court of Appeals shut down Billy Hodges Jr.’s bid to overturn his methamphetamine possession conviction and habitual felon plea, ruling his appeals procedurally flawed on all fronts. This routine criminal procedural smackdown underscores how strict appellate rules can seal fates without touching merits, a reminder that…
**NC Court Backs Revenge Shooting Conviction in Shotgun Case** North Carolina’s Court of Appeals upheld a 9-year prison sentence for Raquon Hayes, convicted of attempted first-degree murder after blasting his former best friend with a shotgun the day after a fistfight. The unpublished ruling rejects claims of insufficient evidence and botched jury instructions, affirming that…
Barclays Invests in US Stablecoin Startup Ubyx Barclays has bought a stake in U.S. stablecoin-settlement company Ubyx, marking the British bank’s first investment in a stablecoin-related business, Barclays said on Wednesday. The bank described the move as part of its broader plans to explore “new forms of digital money”. Barclays announced the stake purchase in…
**Nursing Board Clash Dismissed: No Crypto Link** North Carolina’s Court of Appeals just tossed a nurse’s appeal against the state Board of Nursing, ruling it premature since a lower court only remanded the case for more review—not a final call. This procedural smackdown highlights how appeals courts guard against piecemeal litigation, but it carries zero…
### Court Greenlights Landfill Amid Zoning Clash North Carolina’s appeals court just slammed the door on Charlotte’s zoning board, forcing approval of a massive 62-acre landfill project after overturning a denial. Developers won big when judges ruled city regs trapped them in a no-win bind between local ordinances and state road bosses. This rare win…
Wall Street and Bloomberg Strategist Split on 2026 Crypto Outlook After 2025 Pullback Two prominent market voices are offering sharply different expectations for crypto in 2026, underscoring how unsettled sentiment remains after a major downturn from 2025 highs. Mike McGlone, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior commodity strategist, said the market’s recent cycle was heavily influenced by political…
### NC Court Frees Smithfield Funds from School Mandate North Carolina’s Court of Appeals just slammed the door on a taxpayer push to hijack environmental grants for public schools, reversing a lower court’s order in a blockbuster ruling. The decision upholds a 2000 Smithfield Foods deal funneling up to $2 million yearly into eco-projects, not…
**Option Contracts Enforced: NC Court Forces Estate Sale** North Carolina’s Court of Appeals just slammed the door on estate executors dodging real estate option deals, affirming summary judgment that forces the sale of 41.6 acres to renters for a locked-in $136,000. Tenants David and Kim Peace nailed their contractual right to buy after the landlord’s…
### Jury Torches Wholesaler: $1.6M Battery Blast Verdict Stands A North Carolina appeals court slammed the door on Midwest Goods’ escape bid, upholding a $1.63 million jury verdict against the vaping battery wholesaler for negligence after a lithium-ion cell exploded in a worker’s pocket, scorching his legs. This unpublished ruling reinforces product liability chains, piercing…
CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Uniswap (UNI) Falls 1.5% as Index Trades Lower The CoinDesk 20 index traded lower in the latest daily update from CoinDesk Indices, with Uniswap’s UNI among the weakest components. UNI fell 1.5%, making it the index’s top laggard on the day. Hedera (HBAR) also underperformed, down 1.4% from Tuesday, as the…
**Dissolved LLCs Can’t Chase Contracts from the Grave** A North Carolina appeals court slammed the door on a dissolved LLC’s bid to sue over a boat sales contract, dismissing the appeal on a technicality that underscores the brutal finality of corporate dissolution. Maritime Advisors, a separate entity from the actual contract signer Marine Industry Advisors…
JPMorgan to issue its JPM stablecoin directly on privacy-focused Canton Network JPMorgan plans to issue JPMD, its deposit token representing U.S. dollar deposits held at the bank, directly on the Canton Network, a privacy-enhancing blockchain designed for synchronized financial markets. The move ties JPMorgan’s tokenized deposit product to an infrastructure built for regulated institutions that…
**Divorce Deal Enforced: Courts Back Ironclad Family Contracts** A North Carolina appeals court just slammed the door on a cardiologist’s bid to dodge a separation agreement, forcing him to cough up over $240,000 in back child support, alimony, and kid expenses—plus $50,000 in her legal fees. This unpublished ruling affirms that even ambiguous homegrown contracts…
**NC Court Bars Law Firms from Trustee Roles** North Carolina’s appeals court just slammed the door on law firms acting as trustees or executors, reversing a lower court’s green light in a heated estate battle over Leonard Russo’s will. The ruling hinges on strict state statutes limiting fiduciary roles to specific chartered entities, forcing a…
US Bankers Warn Stablecoin Yield Workarounds Threaten Local Lending US bankers are urging policymakers to address what they describe as regulatory gaps that could allow stablecoin issuers or related platforms to offer interest, rewards, or other inducements to stablecoin holders. In their view, these incentives could encourage customers to move savings out of traditional bank…
**NC Appeals Upholds Child Welfare Termination Amid Drug Crisis** A North Carolina appeals court affirmed the termination of a mother’s parental rights to her infant daughter, born addicted to drugs, prioritizing the child’s stability over a weak parental bond. This unpublished ruling reinforces family court discretion in abuse-neglect cases tied to substance abuse. While a…
Grayscale’s Ethereum ETF Begins Paying Staking Rewards Grayscale said Monday that its Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF has begun distributing staking rewards to shareholders, marking what the firm described as the first time a U.S. spot crypto exchange-traded product has passed staking income directly through to holders. According to the company’s statement, the ETF paid $0.083178…
**Mother’s Rights Snuffed in Abandonment Win** North Carolina’s Court of Appeals just greenlit terminating a mother’s parental rights over her daughter Chloe, ruling her decade-long silence proved willful abandonment. Father won big after proving mom ghosted the kid—no calls, gifts, or visits despite court orders—sparking a family custody war that ended in her permanent ouster….
NC Appeals Upholds Full-Year DVPO Despite Delays. North Carolina’s Court of Appeals affirmed a one-year domestic violence protective order (DVPO) against Matthew Lewis, ruling that trial courts can issue a full-year order after an adversarial hearing even if a prior ex parte order dragged on due to continuances. The decision clarifies a statutory gray area…
