DOJ probe investigates Tether execs for alleged bank fraud

Anonymous sources person revealed that Tether is being investigated for allegedly hiding from banks that transactions were crypto-related

Hong Kong-based stablecoin institution Tether is facing a probe from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a Bloomberg report yesterday. The probe is focused connected whether the company’s executives committed slope fraud.

Three anonymous sources with wrong accusation claimed that the probe aims to find whether Tether hid the information that transactions were crypto-related from banks successful the aboriginal days of the company.

Tether responded to the nonfiction successful a statement, saying, “Today, Bloomberg published an nonfiction based connected unnamed sources and years-old allegations, patently designed to make clicks. This nonfiction follows a signifier of repackaging stale claims arsenic “news.” The continued efforts to discredit Tether volition not alteration our determination to stay leaders successful the community.”

If the probe leads to a transgression lawsuit it could person a large interaction connected the crypto market, arsenic USDT is relied connected by a immense fig of traders who usage it to bargain and merchantability different cryptocurrencies.

And the DOJ isn’t the lone bureau funny successful stablecoins. As these tokens alteration payments to beryllium made extracurricular of the regulated banking system, the US Treasury Department and Federal Reserve are besides exploring stablecoins for their relation successful wealth laundering and whether they endanger fiscal stability.

Tether’s USDT is by acold the largest stablecoin and the 3rd largest cryptocurrency overall. It has a marketplace headdress of astir $62 cardinal – much than doubly arsenic large arsenic that of the 2nd largest stablecoin, Circle’s USDC.

USDT is simply a dollar-pegged stablecoin, meaning its worth is designed to support parity with that of the US dollar. Concerns person been raised astir Tether before, which claimed that each USDT was backed by $1, lone to admit successful a tribunal lawsuit successful April 2019 that the stablecoin was lone backed 74% by currency and short-term securities.

That erstwhile investigation, which besides targeted Bitfinex, was settled successful February this twelvemonth erstwhile the crypto speech and Tether affiliates agreed to wage $18.5 million.

The stablecoin issuer besides said successful its statement: “Tether routinely has unfastened dialog with instrumentality enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, arsenic portion of our committedness to cooperation, transparency, and accountability… It is concern arsenic accustomed astatine Tether, and we stay focused connected however to champion service the needs of our customers.”