Tether Executives Allegedly Under DOJ Investigation for Suspected Bank Fraud

Tether executives are reportedly facing a probe from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), as prosecutors are looking into the company’s past activities with its banking partners.

• According to Bloomberg on Monday (July 26, 2021), the information came from three anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The DOJ is investigating whether banks were aware of the crypto-based transactions carried out by Tether.
• USDT is the largest stablecoin by market capitalization. The total number of tokens in circulation is worth over $68 billion.
• This fact alone carries worrying notes for the cryptocurrency market if the investigation goes through.
• Meanwhile, Tether has been in the crosshairs of US regulators for years. After a long legal tussle between the company and the office of the New York Attorney General (NYAG) since April 2019, Tether and cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex reached a settlement deal with the NYAG.
• As part of the deal, both companies paid $18.5 million in penalties and also agreed to stop servicing New York customers.
• Prior to the settlement, Tether announced that it paid off its remaining loan of $550 million to Bitfinex back in February.
• Meanwhile, an audit report by insurance company Moore Cayman confirmed that Tether tokens are fully backed.