Research Brief: Crypto Fraud Defense Landing Pages — Kirby Law

Prepared for: Kirby Law (business development / SEO initiative) Subject: Landing page build targeting SEC "Strike Force" crypto enforcement cases Status: External research brief — includes viability, compliance, and execution considerations

1. Market Context: What "Strike Force" Actually Is

The SEC's Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU) — formerly the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, rebranded in February 2025 — is the successor to the enforcement unit often referred to colloquially as the agency's crypto "strike force." It pursues enforcement actions involving:

• Unregistered securities offerings (token sales, ICO/IDO/STO)
• Fraud and misrepresentation in DeFi, NFT, and staking products
• Exchange and broker-dealer registration failures
• Market manipulation, wash trading, pump-and-dump schemes
• Pig-butchering / "romance-investment" scams and wallet-drainer schemes
• Unregistered crypto investment advisers

Parallel exposure routes include the DOJ Criminal Division, CFTC (for derivatives/tokens treated as commodities), FinCEN (money transmission / BSA), state AGs and securities regulators, and increasingly FBI/IRS-CI referrals.

If "Strike Force cases" in the source note refers to a specific internal Kirby Law categorization or a client's product name, that definition should be confirmed before any content is published — using SEC's actual unit name and terminology is safer for SEO and credibility.

2. Demand-Side Reality Check

Target client profiles (defense-side):

• Founders/executives of token issuers, exchanges, custodians, DeFi protocols
• Registered reps and investment advisers facing crypto-related enforcement
• OTC desks, market makers, and payment processors subpoenaed by regulators
• Retail investors caught in government-flagged schemes who need representation as witnesses or for asset recovery (usually civil, not defense)

**Sear