FBI Crypto Veteran Chris Wong Joins TRM Labs to Bolster Struggle In opposition to Illicit Finance
Christopher Wong, a former FBI Supervisory Particular Agent and a number one determine within the company’s cryptocurrency investigations, has joined blockchain intelligence agency TRM Labs.
“Chris just isn’t solely one of the crucial proficient and revered investigators on the earth, he’s additionally an inspiring colleague who makes everybody round him higher,” Ari Redbord, international head of coverage at TRM Labs, advised CoinDesk. “He’s been a crucial a part of elite groups all through his profession, and now brings that very same excellence to our mission at TRM.”
Throughout his ten years with the FBI, Wong labored on among the most high-stakes crypto crime instances thus far. He co-led the investigation into the 2016 Bitfinex hack, which resulted within the largest crypto seizure in U.S. historical past — $3.6 billion.
He additionally performed a central position in probing the $600 million Axie Infinity Ronin Bridge breach, which was linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. The assault prompted the primary U.S. sanctions on crypto mixing companies and helped redefine how U.S. companies reply to cyber threats involving crypto.
One in every of Wong’s newest main instances with the FBI concerned monitoring $7.7 million in crypto tied to North Korea’s IT employee laundering schemes. His efforts revealed how operatives faked their identities to realize jobs within the international tech trade, then funneled earnings again to Pyongyang.
Wong is now becoming a member of TRM Labs as a worldwide investigator, with the purpose of serving to disrupt felony crypto exercise.
“I’m wanting ahead to studying from Chris as he helps our shoppers and companions cease illicit actors from exploiting transformative applied sciences,” Redbord mentioned.
