「$10M Profit Whale」 Suspected of Accumulating 6000 ETH in a Transaction, with an Average Price of $1582

A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted 43-year-old crypto investor Benjamin Paul Wiener of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on 29 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, involving approximately $20 million. Dozens of victims are located across South Dakota and Minnesota. Prosecutors allege Wiener used eight entities he controlled to induce investors to contribute funds and cryptocurrency through false statements, then transferred the assets via banks and crypto exchanges for personal spending. When investors requested redemptions or new capital dried up, he recruited new investors to repay old ones, an alleged Ponzi scheme. Additionally, prosecutors charge that in April 2025, Wiener secured a $1 million line of credit from a bank by forging documents, communications records and stealing others’ personal identifying information. Wiener has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is released on bail pending trial, scheduled for September 15. Under U.S. law, wire fraud and money laundering each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, bank fraud carries up to 30 years, and aggravated identity theft adds a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of at least two years.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. military forces concluded their seventh consecutive night of military strikes against Iran at 9:30 p.m. ET on July 17. CENTCOM added that the operation targeted reconnaissance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime targets, with various military assets including fighter jets, drones and warships deployed. The statement noted that U.S. forces will continue to hold Iran accountable in line with the president’s directives and fully enforce a maritime blockade targeting Iranian ports. Additionally, CENTCOM stated that more than 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in the Middle East for operations, maintaining high alert and capable of launching rapid strikes.

Weeks ago, emails promoting posts from Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform began circulating among trading desks across Wall Street. A copy of an email reveals the product promises sub-second, 24/7 access to Trump’s post data, including weekends and after-hours trading periods. The email also urges recipients to “act quickly,” noting “some of your peers are already deploying this product.” Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) has openly offered high-frequency traders and hedge funds real-time access to the former president’s remarks, sparking fierce political and ethical debate on Wall Street. Institutions are weighing what it means to pay a publicly traded company where Trump is the largest shareholder for access to his posts. Trump has a history of making statements that move markets, meaning any firm unwilling to pay could fall behind competitors in algorithmic trading. Trump is clearly more emboldened to profit from various business ventures during a potential second term. As TMTG’s largest shareholder, he holds stakes worth roughly $1 billion. He has also broken longstanding norms by generating income from multiple business ventures while in office, earning over $1 billion from crypto projects alone in the past year.

According to EmberCN’s monitoring, Pump.fun transferred 81,712 SOL tokens (worth approximately $6.15 million) to Kraken again today, with the transfer suspected to be proceeds from its fee sales. Data shows that since the start of 2024, Pump.fun has sold a total of around 4.812 million SOL tokens, valued at roughly $812 million, at an average selling price of approximately $168.7 per token.

US federal prosecutors have charged Zyaire Wilkins, a 21-year-old man from Florida, with conspiring with accomplices to implant crypto-stealing malware into at least eight games between May 2024 and February 2026, spreading the titles via gaming platforms. The scheme infected roughly 8,000 devices and led to the theft of around 80 crypto wallets, with total losses exceeding $220,000. The games involved include BlockBlasters, Chemia, Dashverse, DashFPS, Lampy, Lunara, PirateFi, and Tokenova; some of these titles were previously removed from Steam due to security risks. Wilkins is accused of promoting the games on platforms including Discord, Telegram, X, and LinkedIn to lure users into downloading them. The malware then stole victims’ sensitive information and crypto wallet assets. The FBI said law enforcement identified Wilkins through on-chain fund flow analysis and digital payment records. Investigators found his linked crypto wallets purchased more than 150 gift cards from crypto gift card platform Bitrefill, including Uber Eats cards, which helped confirm his phone number and residential address. The case has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

International crude oil prices have continued to rise recently, with Brent crude hitting $86.75 and WTI crude at $82.33, after both benchmarks fell to near the $70 mark. Data released by international market services firm Kpler on the 17th shows that shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained weak on the 16th, with the number of vessels transiting the strait dropping to 8 that day, the lowest level in nearly three weeks. Of the 8 vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz that day, 7 chose to use the northern lane near Iran, reflecting that shipping companies are re-assessing regional security conditions, crew safety and insurance risks, leading to further concentration of vessel traffic in this lane. Meanwhile, crude oil futures notched double-digit gains this week. Another factor stoking tensions is the potential for Houthi forces in Yemen to take actions that could block Red Sea shipping; Saudi Arabia has been diverting crude exports to the Red Sea in the event of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Barclays analyst Amarpreet Singh stated in a report: "With inventories at multi-year lows and most strategic petroleum reserve releases already completed, renewed tensions over the Strait’s 'red line' pose significant upside risks to energy prices. For now, we believe the oil market is still too complacent about potential inventory impacts."