International Finfluencer Crackdown Leads to Three UK Arrests
Influencers promoting financial products on social media have been targeted by an international investigation led by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority.
Three people were arrested in the UK, while a further four were invited for interview, the FCA said in a statement Friday. It did not name the individuals, but said it also issued 50 warning notices and seven cease-and-desist letters for promoters operating without authorization.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
36 minutes ago
- Washington Post
A British TV art expert who sold works to a suspected Hezbollah financier is sentenced to prison
LONDON — An art expert who appeared on the BBC's Bargain Hunt show was sentenced Friday to two and a half years in prison for failing to report his sale of pricey works to a suspected financier of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group . Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000. The art sales took place between October 2020 and December 2021.
Associated Press
44 minutes ago
- Associated Press
A British TV art expert who sold works to a suspected Hezbollah financier is sentenced to prison
LONDON (AP) — An art expert who appeared on the BBC's Bargain Hunt show was sentenced Friday to two and a half years in prison for failing to report his sale of pricey works to a suspected financier of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000. The art sales took place between October 2020 and December 2021. Ojiri, who also appeared on the BBC's Antiques Road Trip, faced a possible sentence of five years in prison in the hearing at London's Central Criminal Court, which is better known as the Old Bailey. In addition to the prison term, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said Ojiri faces an additional year on license. Ojiri sold about 140,000 pounds ($185,000) worth of artworks to Nazem Ahmad, a diamond and art dealer sanctioned by the U.K. and U.S. as a Hezbollah financier. The sanctions were designed to prevent anyone in the U.K. or U.S. from trading with Ahmad or his businesses. 'This prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation, is the first of its kind and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, pursue those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups,' said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The Met's investigation into Ojiri was carried out alongside Homeland Security in the U.S., which is conducting a wider investigation into alleged money laundering by Ahmad using shell companies. Ahmad was sanctioned in 2019 by the U.S. Treasury, which said he was a prominent Lebanon-based money launderer involved in smuggling blood diamonds, which are mined in conflict zones and sold to finance violence. Two years ago, the U.K. Treasury froze Ahmad's assets because he financed Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militant organization that has been designated an international terrorist group. Following Ojiri's arrest in April 2023, the Met obtained a warrant to seize a number of artworks, including a Picasso and Andy Warhol paintings, belonging to Ahmad and held in two warehouses in the U.K. The collection, valued at almost 1 million pounds, is due to be sold with the funds to be reinvested back into the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Authorities search Elk River landfill in disappearance of Jordan "Manny" Collins Jr.
An apartment building where Manny lived with his father is now marked as a crime scene An apartment building where Manny lived with his father is now marked as a crime scene An apartment building where Manny lived with his father is now marked as a crime scene A search involving multiple agencies is being conducted Friday north of the Twin Cities in the disappearance of 16-year-old Jordan Dupree Collins Jr., who went missing last month. According to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, the search is being conducted at the Waste Management Landfill in Elk River. The search is in connection to Jordan Dupree Collins Jr., who went missing last month. Authorities believe Collins' disappearance was "against his will" and a person of interest was identified, but no arrests have been announced. Jordan Dupree Collins Ashley Berry/Minnesota BCA In a press conference held in late May with Collins' family, Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise says he doesn't think this is a case of a teenager running away. Collins — who is commonly known by the nickname, Manny — was last seen on May 8 near the 4900 block of University Avenue Northeast. An apartment building near the intersection is now under investigation. Ashley Berry, Collins' mother, says her son has lived at the building with his father since mid-April, with plans to return to her in June. Investigators have spoken with Collins' father multiple times. Wise didn't identify the person of interest on Wednesday, but noted no one is in custody and no criminal charges have been filed. Agencies involved in the search include the Columbia Heights Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Federal Bureau of Investigation. NOTE: Video is from May 29, 2025.
