Daily Digest Online

A 40-year-old Nigerian man has been sentenced to two decades in a U.S. federal prison for masterminding a sophisticated, nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy that stole millions from American credit union customers. A federal court in Albany, New York, has sentenced Oluwaseun Adekoya, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, to 20 years in prison for leading a large-scale fraud ring that targeted home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) across the United States. Adekoya, a lawful permanent resident who lived in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, was convicted earlier this year on charges of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft following a three-week trial. According to evidence presented by the U.S. Department of Justice, Adekoya operated the scheme from his luxury apartment, using encrypted messaging apps like Telegram to organize a network of conspirators. He identified potential victims with substantial HELOC balance...

A Russian court has sentenced a man to 19 years in a penal colony for the 2018 murder of his girlfriend, a crime prosecutors described as being carried out with "special cruelty" and involving acts of cannibalism and desecration. A Russian man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for the brutal 2018 murder of his girlfriend, a crime that shocked investigators with its extreme violence and elements of cannibalism. Dmitry Luchin, then 23, was convicted of killing 45-year-old Olga Budunova after visiting her apartment under the pretense of celebrating International Women's Day. According to trial proceedings, Luchin struck Budunova repeatedly with a wine bottle before using a meat cleaver to dismember her body. Prosecutors detailed that Luchin then committed further acts of desecration, including roasting and consuming parts of her brain and drinking her blood. He is also reported to have scrawled insults on her body and drawn occult symbols on th...

A Russian couple was tortured and killed in the United Arab Emirates after being kidnapped by criminals attempting to steal an estimated £380 million from their cryptocurrency accounts, in a case that underscores the lethal dangers shadowing the digital asset world. A harrowing kidnap-for-ransom plot targeting cryptocurrency wealth has ended in a double murder in the United Arab Emirates. The victims, Russian nationals Roman and Anna Novak, were lured to a resort near Hatta under false pretenses before being abducted, tortured, and killed, according to international reports and UAE police. The couple, parents to two young children, were targeted by assailants posing as potential investors. After their abduction, the kidnappers subjected them to torture in an attempt to force the disclosure of access codes to crypto wallets reportedly containing £380 million. Forensic investigations later revealed those wallets were empty. The case took a dark turn when the victi...