California Quietly Passed a Big Win for Crypto Transparency Last Week
Release Date: 08/06/2025
The Multi-Billion Dollar Bitcoin Seizure of 61,000 BTC in London
BitAML Podcast
A Record-Breaker, Not Just Another Headline In mid-2025, London’s Metropolitan Police revealed that they had , tied to a massive fraud scheme originating in China. The defendant, Zhimin Qian (aka “Yadi Zhang”), pleaded guilty to charges involving the acquisition and possession of criminal property. By value, that haul is being marketed as the (>$6–7 billion, depending on BTC’s price). But the real story isn’t the dollar signs—it’s what this case reveals about the maturing capabilities of crypto tracing, compliance, and multi-jurisdictional cooperation. Seizures Up ≠...
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How to Start a Career in Crypto AML Compliance
BitAML Podcast
If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to jump into crypto compliance—the kind that banks and regulators pay attention to—this post is for you. We’re not talking about meme coins and Discord mods. This is about joining the growing movement to bring safety, legitimacy, and structure to one of the most disruptive financial technologies in a generation. Stephen Sargeant recently posted a must-read on LinkedIn calling for hybrid AML/compliance pros who are curious, coachable, and grounded in real-world systems. That post didn’t just announce a job opening—it outlined what real...
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Stablecoin Rising — From Niche to Financial Mainstay
BitAML Podcast
How this Massive Seachange Went from Niche to Necessity. What Changed? A few years ago, stablecoins were a curiosity—mainly used by traders who wanted a quick way to park value between crypto positions. Fast forward to today, and they’re handling trillions in settlement volume and showing up in the playbooks of companies you know by name. “General growth and rate of growth, transaction volume, reach, mainstreaming… there are definitely household names getting into stablecoins—the Walmarts of the world, Visa and MasterCard, PayPal, Block (Square).” — Joe Ciccolo,...
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California Quietly Passed a Big Win for Crypto Transparency Last Week
BitAML Podcast
California updating its Political Reform Act (1974) to include crypto disclosures for public officials Last Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1029 into law. It didn’t make big headlines. Crypto Twitter was too busy reacting to presidential polls, stablecoin rumors, and some ETF filings. But this was a major win for transparency, accountability—and crypto legitimacy. If you blinked, you might’ve missed it. But BitAML didn’t. And neither did our Founder & President, Joe Ciccolo, who also serves as Executive Director of the California Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (CBAC)....
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White House Unveils Landmark Crypto Framework—A New Era for Digital Assets Begins
BitAML Podcast
What the July 2025 Crypto Policy Report Means for You The White House’s long-awaited crypto policy report has landed, and while it echoes much of what the industry has been expecting, it marks a pivotal moment. At 163 pages, the July 30 release isn’t just another policy paper—it’s a roa map for how the U.S. intends to regulate, support, and shape the digital asset economy. Stablecoin Oversight Gets Teeth The headline grabber is the GENIUS Act, signed into law July 18, which formalizes the country’s first comprehensive stablecoin framework. Mandates: 1:1 reserve backing, robust...
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The Two-Front War Using American TikTokers to Help North Korea Hack Wallets and Steal Paychecks
BitAML Podcast
At first glance, Christina Chapman was just another TikTok personality trying to make it in the gig economy. But beneath the surface of her Minnesota home lay a covert cybercrime operation linked to one of the world’s most sophisticated state-sponsored heists. Authorities say Chapman unknowingly became a crucial node in a massive North Korean scheme, operating a "laptop farm" that helped rogue IT workers land remote jobs with over 300 U.S. companies. Those jobs paid more than $17 million—and that was just the warm-up act. The Laptop Lady Becomes an Unwitting Accomplice Christina Chapman, a...
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The Big, Beautiful Shake-Up: How Trump’s Crypto-Friendly Bill May Reshape the Industry — For Better or Worse
BitAML Podcast
The Bill That Roared President Trump’s sweeping “Big, Beautiful Bill” has officially passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law by the commander in chief on the 4th of July, bringing with it a mix of fanfare, frustration, and fiscal fireworks. Touted as a landmark win for economic freedom, the bill promises massive tax cuts, deregulation, and a new direction for America’s financial policy. But for the crypto industry, this isn’t just another tax reform package. It’s a fork in the road. Packed into nearly 400 pages are some of the most consequential shifts in how the...
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The Courier Workaround—How Scammers Outsmarted Bitcoin ATM Limits
BitAML Podcast
How Bitcoin ATM Limits Accidentally Sparked a New Crime Trend When California capped crypto ATM transactions at $1,000 a day, the goal was clear: stop scammers from draining victims' life savings overnight. Nebraska, Iowa, and other states quickly followed suit. The new regulations made headlines and were hailed as a win for consumer protection. But behind the scenes, something troubling started to unfold. Instead of giving up, scammers adapted. Now, we’re seeing a dramatic rise in courier-based fraud schemes. Victims, often seniors, are being manipulated into emptying their bank accounts,...
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The Hidden Remittance Tax: 3.5% Withholding on Funds Sent Abroad
BitAML Podcast
At the heart of the controversy is a 3.5% excise tax on all cross-border remittance transfers from non-U.S. citizens. That’s right—if you’re on an H-1B visa, a green card, or another non-citizen status, and you send money overseas (to family, to invest, whatever), this bill proposes your provider (e.g., crypto exchange, traditional remittance app) withhold 3.5% of that transfer as tax. Originally set at 5%, the rate was walked back after pushback from diaspora communities and advocacy groups. Still, 3.5% is significant. It comes on top of existing fees, which means money sent back home...
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Crypto Seizures and the Fight for Fairness—Protecting Victims Without Undermining Rights
BitAML Podcast
The Crypto Seizure Conundrum of Balancing Justice AND Property Rights Crypto scams are no longer fringe news—they’re a front-page reality. As criminals become more sophisticated, lawmakers are scrambling to respond. One emerging trend? A renewed push for the seizure of cryptocurrency assets before conviction. That’s right—under certain bills currently proposed, law enforcement may soon have broader authority to seize crypto assets linked to suspected fraud or exploitation. But with great power comes great risk. These proposed laws walk a tightrope between rightfully protecting victims...
info_outlineCalifornia updating its Political Reform Act (1974) to include crypto disclosures for public officials
Last Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1029 into law. It didn’t make big headlines. Crypto Twitter was too busy reacting to presidential polls, stablecoin rumors, and some ETF filings.
But this was a major win for transparency, accountability—and crypto legitimacy.
If you blinked, you might’ve missed it. But BitAML didn’t. And neither did our Founder & President, Joe Ciccolo, who also serves as Executive Director of the California Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (CBAC). Back in March, CBAC submitted one of the first and strongest letters of support for AB 1029.