Digital Currency Group faces NY probe over linkage to troubled Genesis: Bloomberg

Quick Take

  • Over the last few months, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has asked for information from former executives of Genesis, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

     

Digital Currency Group is facing a probe from New York’s leading law enforcement officer over its financial dealings with subsidiary Genesis Global Capital, according to a report from Bloomberg News

Over the last few months, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has asked for information from former executives of Genesis, including former Genesis chief risk officer Michael Patchen, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Genesis Global filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year after taking a financial hit following the collapses of the crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital and the FTX exchange last year. 

Trouble for Genesis 

This is not the first time Genesis has been the subject of investigations. The Securities and Exchange Commission sued both crypto exchange Gemini and the crypto firm earlier this year and said that the Earn program constituted an unregistered offer and sale of securities under U.S. law.

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Genesis too was investigated by state securities regulators late last year, according to Barron’s. Alabama was looking into whether Genesis, among other firms, "enticed residents to invest in crypto-related securities without making the proper registrations."

DCG and the New York attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A DCG spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company is helping regulators and investigative agencies upon request. 


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About Author

Sarah is a reporter at The Block covering policy, regulation and legal happenings. Before, Sarah was a reporter with CQ Legal writing about securities regulation, which is where she first started reporting on crypto. Sarah has also written for The Bond Buyer and American Banker, among other finance-related publications. She graduated from the University of Missouri and earned a degree in print and digital journalism. Sarah is based in Washington D.C., and is an avid coffee lover. You can follow her on Twitter @ForTheWynn.

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