Panama

Two major U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges - Bittrex and Poloniex - have been added as defendants to a class action complaint that alleges crypto buyers around the world were collectively swindled out of billions of dollars in an unprecedented "criminal" price manipulation scheme.

Consolidated Class Action Amended Complaint alleging "a sophisticated scheme to fraudulently inflate the price of cryptocurrencies ..., causing the price of these cryptocommodities to spike far above their legitimate value in the largest bubble in human history, and ultimately resulting in billions of dollars of damage to innocent cryptocommodity purchasers" in Matthew Script, Benjamin Leibowitz, Jason Leibowitz, Aaron Leibowitz, and Pinchas Goldshtein v. iFinex Inc., a.k.a. Bitfinex; BFXNA Inc., BFXWW Inc., Tether Holdings Limited, Tether Operations Limited, Tether International Limited, DigFinex Inc., all of the British Virgin Islands; Tether Limited, of Hong Kong; Philip G. Potter, of New York; Giancarlo Devasini, described as a citizen of Italy; Ludovicus Jan van der Velde, described as a citizen of the Netherlands; Reginald Fowler, of Arizona; Crypto Capital Corp., of Panama; Bittrex, Inc., described as a Delaware company based in Seattle, Washington, and Poloniex, LLC, described as a Delaware company based in Boston, Massachusetts, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Petition in Royal Yuyo Shipping SA, of Panama v. Productos Agropecuarios de Tehuacan, Productos Avicolas el Cavario, and Socorro Romero Sanchez SA de CV, all of Mexico, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Judgment in Lea Lilly Perry and Tamar Perry v. Lopag Trust Reg., of Liechtenstein; Private Equity Services (Curaçao) NV, of Curaçao; Fiduciana Verwaltungsanstalt, of Liechtenstein; Gal Greenspoon, Yael Perry, Dan Greenspoon, Ron Greensoon, Ron Greenspoon, Mia Greenspoon, by Hagai Greenspoon, her guardian ad litem, and Admintrust Verwaltungs Anstalt at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Class Action Complaint alleging securities fraud in Service Lamp Corporation Profit Sharing Plan v. Carnival Corporation, described as "the world's largest leisure travel company and the largest cruise company" that is domiciled in Panama, based in Miami and whose shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange; Arnold W. Donald, and David Bernstein at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Complaint alleging telemarketing and consumer fraud that caused "tens of millions of dollars" of losses and involving a call center apparently based in Panama in Federal Trade Commission v. First Data Merchant Services LLC, of Florida, and Chi W. Ko, a.k.a. Vincent Ko, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in Bermuda by Mike Morrison, Charles Thresh, and James Bennett, as the Foreign Representatives of Digicel Group One Limited, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Chapter 11 Petition by Avianca Holdings SA, Aero Transporte de Carga Unión, S.A. de C.V., Aeroinversiones de Honduras, S.A., Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A., Avianca Airlease Holdings One Ltd., America Central (Canada) Corp., America Central Corp., AV International Holdco S.A., AV International Holdings S.A., AV International Investments S.A., AV International Ventures S.A., AV Investments One Colombia S.A.S., AV Investments Two Colombia S.A.S., AV Taca International Holdco S.A., Avianca Costa Rica S.A., Avianca Holdings S.A., Avianca Leasing, LLC, Avianca, Inc., Avianca-Ecuador S.A., Aviaservicios, S.A., Aviateca, S.A., Avifreight Holding Mexico, S.A.P.I. de C.V., C.R. Int'l Enterprises, Inc., Grupo Taca Holdings Limited, International Trade Marks Agency Inc., Inversiones del Caribe, S.A., Isleña de Inversiones, S.A. de C.V., Latin Airways Corp., Latin Logistics, LLC, Nicaraguense de Aviación, Sociedad Anónima (Nica, S.A.), Regional Express Américas S.A.S., Ronair N.V., Servicio Terrestre, Aereo y Rampa S.A., Servicios Aeroportuarios Integrados SAI S.A.S., Taca de Honduras, S.A. de C.V., Taca de México, S.A., Taca International Airlines S.A., Taca S.A., Tampa Cargo S.A.S., Technical and Training Services, S.A. de C.V., collectively described as "the second-largest airline group in Latin America", filed at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the proceeds of an alleged tax fraud and money laundering scheme by Wayne Franklyn Chinn and involving accounts and entities in Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Panama, Singapore, and Switzerland in USA v. Funds in the name of MMT International Holdings Ltd. at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and DBS Bank, both of Singapore, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Plea Agreement in USA v. Bank Hapoalim BM, of Israel, and Hapoalim (Switzerland) Ltd., of Switzerland, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Petition to Vacate or Modify Arbitration Award of $755,821 alleging "the Award was procured by corruption, fraud or undue means" in Tradiverse Corporation v. Luzar Trading SA, a Venezuelan company based in Panama, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Complaint alleging the default of debt in Verano Development Inc., a Florida company based in Panama v. the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The BVI-domiciled, Taiwan-based operator of the cryptocurrency exchange known as Bitfinex has applied to take discovery from banks in Georgia and Colorado as part of its attempt to recover $880 million that was allegedly misappropriated by Swiss firm Crypto Capital and related parties.

Complaint alleging breach of fiduciary duty and for an accounting in Anonymous Owner and Holder of Shareholder Certificate No. 2 for Transcol SA v. Transcol SA, of Panama; Carlos Eduardo Rubio, in his individual capacity and as president; Jorge Hernan Rubio C., in his individual capacity and as Secretary; and Arnoldo Cano H., in his individual capacity and as Director, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Application by iFinex Inc., d.b.a. Bitfinex, a British Virgin Islands-domiciled, Taiwan-based cryptocurrency exchange operator, to take discovery from Pinnacle Bancorp, d.b.a. Bank of Colorado, "for use in foreign proceedings both currently ongoing and contemplated in Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom" in which iFinex "seeks to recover approximately $880,000,000" that was allegedly misappropriated by Global Trade Solutions AG, d.b.a. Crypto Capital, of Switzerland, and related parties, filed at the U. S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Application by iFinex Inc., d.b.a. Bitfinex, a British Virgin Islands-domiciled, Taiwan-based cryptocurrency exchange operator, to take discovery from SunTrust Bank "for use in foreign proceedings both currently ongoing and contemplated in Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom" in which iFinex "seeks to recover approximately $880,000,000" that was allegedly misappropriated by Global Trade Solutions AG, d.b.a. Crypto Capital, of Switzerland, and related parties Application, filed at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Application by YS GM Marfin II LLC, YS GM MF VII LLC, YS GM MF VIII LLC, YS GM MF IX LLC, and YS GM MF X LLC to take discovery from The Clearing House Payments Company LLC, Bank of America, Bank of China, The Bank of New York Mellon, BNP Paribas USA, Citibank, Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, HSBC Bank USA, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered Bank, UBS AG, and Wells Fargo Bank for use in "pending and contemplated proceedings" in England, Malaysia and other countries regarding "a brazen $89.2 million multinational maritime fraud" allegedly by Muhammad Tahir Lakhani, and his two sons, Muhammad Ali Lakhani and Muhammad Hasan Lakhani, who are described as "British and Pakistani dual nationals ordinarily resident in England, Pakistan and//or the United Arab Emirates", and involving several jurisdictions, including Nevis, Marshall Islands, Palau, and Panama, filed at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Complaint in Credit Suisse AG, of Switzerland v. SPV Sam Eagle Inc., of Panama, described as the owner of the Liberia-flagged M/V Sam Eagle, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Fixed Date Claim Form seeking the removal of Domenic Zinsli, of Liechtenstein, as liquidator of Tinni Holdings Inc. in Semita SA, of Panama v. Myrna Herbert, as Registrar of Corporate Affairs, at the British Virgin Islands High Court.

Judgment for $2.75 million in favor of the plaintiff in Compañia De Navegación Palomar, SA, of Panama; Cosmopolitan Finance Corporation, of the British Virgin Islands; Dominion Corporation SA, of Panama; John Manners and Co. (Malaya) Pte Ltd., of Singapore; Peninsula Navigation Company (Private) Limited, of the British Virgin Islands, and Straits Marine Company Private Limited, of the British Virgin Islands v. Isabel Brenda Koutsos, of Australia, at Singapore High Court.

Third Superseding Indictment adding four new defendants, including former executives of 21st Century Fox, Inc., of the United States, and Imagina Media Audiovisual SL, of Spain, alleging racketeering, money laundering, wire fraud, tax fraud, and unlawful procurement of naturalization regarding alleged bribery and corruption involving FIFA and other soccer organizations in USA v. Hugo Jinkis, a citizen of Argentina; Mariano Jinkis, a citizen of Argentina; Full Play Group SA, of Uruguay; Hernan Lopez, a citizen of the U.S. and Argentina; Carlos Martinez, a citizen of the U.S. and Mexico; Gerard Romy, a citizen of Spain; Ariel Alvarado, a citizen of Panama; Manuel Burga, a citizen of Peru; Luis Chiriboga, a citizen of Ecuador; Marco Polo Del Nero, a citizen of Brazil; Eduardo Deluca, a citizen of Argentina; Eugenio Figueredo, a citizen of the U.S. and Uruguay; José Luís Meiszner, a citizen of Argentina; Romer Osuna, a citizen of Bolivia; Ricardo Teixeira, a citizen of Brazil; Reynaldo Vasquez, a citizen of El Salvador, and Jack Warner, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, at the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Application by Juan María Rendón, a citizen of Italy residing in Portugal, and Roberto Maurice Ventura Crispino, a citizen of Italy residing in Panama, to take discovery from Abbott Laboratories Inc. for use in legal proceedings in Colombia and Switzerland involving "a group of sellers who entered into a stock purchase agreement with CFR International SpA, as purchaser, and CFR Pharmaceuticals S.A., as warrantor, for purposes of transferring control over one of the largest pharmaceutical groups in Colombia, named Lafrancol", filed at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Criminal Complaint alleging money laundering regarding the proceeds of corruption and involving, inter alia, bank accounts in Austria and Switzerland and companies in Belize and Panama in USA v. Maikel Jose Moreno Perez, described as the "President of the Supreme Tribunal in Venezuela", at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in the British Virgin Islands by Eleanor Fisher, as the Foreign Representative of Olinda Star Ltd. (in Provisional Liquidation), whose "operational management team is based in Brazil, its treasury function is located in Panama, and its sole director resides in the Cayman Islands", at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Defendant's Notice of Removal, including a copy of the complaint, in Global Network Management, Ltd., of the British Virgin Islands v. CenturyLink Latin American Solutions LLC, formerly known as Level 3 Latin American Solutions LLC, of Delaware, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Complaint alleging fraud in Trafalgar Multi Asset Trading Company Limited (in Liquidation), of the Cayman Islands v. James David Hadley, Thomas William Gordon Biggar, Stuart Neil Chapman-Clark, Andrew Christopher Jones, Titan Capital Partners Limited, of England; CGrowth Capital Bond Limited, of England; William MacFarland Wright III, of USA; Pinnacle Brokers Limited (in Liquidation), of Malta; Mark Lloyd, Vivere Forti International Foundation, of Panama; Kirsty Louise Platt, of Spain; Platinum Pyramid Limited, of England, and Bentley Jarrard Thwaite at the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.

Criminal Complaint alleging conspiracy to launder the proceeds of bribery involving, inter alia, companies in the Cayman Islands, Panama, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom in USA v. Juan Ribas Domenech, a citizen of Ecuador; Jose Vicente Gomez Aviles, a citizen of Colombia, and Felipe Moncaleano Botero, a citizen of Ecuador, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Superseding Indictment alleging tax fraud and money laundering regarding an investigation triggered by the data leak known as the 'Panama Papers' in USA v. Richard Gaffey, a.k.a. Dick Gaffey, an accountant residing in Massachusetts, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in Honduras by Oscar A. Lagos, of Banco de los Trabajadores, SA, as the Foreign Representative of Banco Continental SA, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award in Luzar Trading SA, a Venezuelan company based in Panama v. Tradiverse Corporation, of New York, NY, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

A €12 million bond offering by British nationals Minette Coetzee, a.k.a. Minette Compson, and Paul Segal via their Symtomax Group for a purported medical cannabis production facility in Portugal is fraudulent, OffshoreAlert can reveal. The scheme involves entities and individuals in the BVI, Canada, Dubai, England, Gibraltar, Morocco, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, South Africa, and Switzerland.

Second Amended Complaint alleging defamation and trademark infringement regarding the movie 'The Laundromat' about the 'Panama Papers' investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in Mossack Fonseca & Co. SA, Bufete MF & Co., Jürgen Mossack, and Ramón Fonseca, all of Panama v. Netflix Inc. at the U. S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Notice of Court Order Ending Administration regarding Privilege Wealth Plc, of Britain, by the company's administrators, Stephen Katz and John Kelmanson.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in the Cayman Islands by Alexander Lawson and Christopher Kennedy, of Alvarez and Marsal Cayman Islands Ltd., as the Foreign Representatives of IIG Global Trade Finance Fund Ltd. (in Official Liquidation), at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Class Action Complaint alleging fraud involving Bitcoin cryptocurrency in Joseph Ebanks, of Stow, Ohio v. iFinex Inc., BFXNA Inc., DigFinex Inc., Tether Holdings Limited, Tether Limited, and Tether Operations Limited, all of the British Virgin Islands; Jean-Louis van der Velde, of Hong Kong; Giancarlo Devasini, of France, and Philip Potter, of Ocean Beach, NY, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Class Action Complaint alleging fraud involving Bitcoin cryptocurrency in Bryan Faubus, of New York v. iFinex Inc., BFXNA Inc., and BFXWW Inc., each described as a British Virgin Islands company based in Hong Kong; DigFinex Inc., of the BVI; Tether Holdings Limited, described as a BVI company based in Taiwan; Tether Limited, described as a Hong Kong company based in Taiwan; Tether Operations Limited, of Hong Kong, and Tether International Limited, of Hong Kong, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Class Action Complaint alleging fraud involving Bitcoin cryptocurrency in Eric Young, of Pennsylvania; Adam Kurtz, of New York, and David Crystal, of Florida v. iFinex Inc., BFXNA Inc., and BFXWW Inc., each described as a British Virgin Islands company based in Hong Kong; DigFinex Inc., of the BVI; Tether Holdings Limited, described as a BVI company based in Taiwan; Tether Limited, described as a Hong Kong company based in Taiwan; Tether Operations Limited, of Hong Kong, and Tether International Limited, of Hong Kong, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Editor's Note: This is a re-filing of a class action complaint that was first filed at federal court in Seattle, Washington on November 22nd, 2019 and voluntarily dismissed on January 7th, 2020.

Nearly two years after their appointment and having run out of cash, the Joint Administrators of Britain's Privilege Wealth Plc have applied to wind up the company, which collapsed after its £40 million-plus investment fraud was exposed by OffshoreAlert.

Fixed Date Claim Form regarding Fenella Property SA in Gabriela Bell, of Panama v. The Registrar of Corporate Affairs at the British Virgin Islands High Court.

Criminal Information alleging tax evasion involving entities in Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Panama, Singapore, and Switzerland in USA v. Wayne Franklin Chinn, a.k.a. Frank Chinn, of Vietnam and San Francisco, California, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Claim Form for damages of $53 million in Ikana Holdings, S. de R.L., of Panama, and Consorcio Energetico Punta Cana-Macao, SA, of the Dominican Republic v. Putney Capital Management Ltd., of the British Virgin Islands; Basic Energy (BVI) Ltd., now known as Haina Energy Holdings II, of the BVI, and Snapper Investments, Inc., of the Bahamas, at the British Virgin Islands High Court.

Joint Administrators' Fourth Progress Report regarding British firm Privilege Wealth Plc, a participant in a global investment fraud that collapsed after being exposed by OffshoreAlert.

Winding Up Petition in LAM Global Management Ltd. I v. IIG Structured Trade Finance Fund Ltd. at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Class Action Complaint alleging fraud involving cryptocurrencies in Eric Young, a resident of Pennsylvania, and Adam Kurtz, a resident of New York v. iFinex Inc., BFXNA Inc., and BFXWW Inc., each described as a British Virgin Islands company based in Hong Kong; Tether Holdings Limited, of the British Virgin Islands; Tether Limited, described as a Hong Kong company based in Taiwan; DigFinex Inc., of the British Virgin Islands; Tether Operations Limited, of Hong Kong, and Tether International Limited, of Hong Kong, at the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Complaint alleging "a string of frauds by Defendant to cover up tens of millions of dollars in losses" in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. International Investment Group LLC at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Complaint regarding "a massive $2 billion fraud to embezzle monies from the Bank [Vneshprombank Ltd.] and then hide the funds in foreign countries" in Yuri Vladimirovich Rozhkov, a citizen and resident of Russia, and The State Corporation Deposit Insurance Agency, of Russia, as Trustee and Foreign Representative of Foreign Economic Industrial Bank Limited, a.k.a. Vneshprombank Ltd. v. LARMAR Foundation, of Panama; Ilya Bykov, BG Atlantic, Inc., LM Realty 31B, LLC, LM Realty 31C, LLC, LM Realty 27D, LLC, LM Realty 24C, LLC, LM Realty 20A, LLC, LM Realty 18 West, LLC, LM Realty 10C, LLC, LM Realty 23H, LLC, LM Property Management LLC, Innovative Construction Group, Inc., First integrated Construction, Inc., and Larisa Ivanovna Markus, a citizen and resident of Russia, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Judgment on Application for Leave to Appeal on a matter of "Great General or Public Importance" regarding the registration of a Brazilian freezing order known as "the Moro Order" in The Supervisory Authority v. Cresswell Overseas SA, of Panama, and Meinl Bank (Antigua) Ltd. regarding the Operation Car Wash investigation in Brazil, filed at the Antigua & Barbuda Court of Appeal.

Winding Up Petition in the matter of Pacifico Global Advisors Ltd., which was controlled by Arturo Klein, of Switzerland, at Bahamas Supreme Court.

Reasons and Decision in the matter of Cameron Edward Cornish, David Paul George Sidders, and Patrick Jelf Caruso before the Ontario Securities Commission.

The BVI operator of Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange, which was sued 12 days earlier for allegedly perpetrating a multi-billion dollar fraud, has applied to take discovery in California for a purported attempt to recover $880 million of client funds that its Swiss payments processor has allegedly failed to remit.