On January 7, 2026, the United States (U.S.) Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a summary judgment decision by the U.S. District Court, enforcing willful penalties against U.S. taxpayers. Most importantly, the decision by Judge Lewis J. Liman for the appellate court found the district court did not err in holding that “willful” as used in the statute encompasses reckless conduct.

On February 6, 2026, the United States (U.S.) Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Zubayar Al-Bakoush, an alleged participant in the September 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, is now in U.S. custody and has been charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. He is the third person to be taken into U.S. custody in connection with the attacks.

On February 13, 2026, the United States (U.S.) Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) opened a new dedicated webpage to accept whistleblower tips on fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations.

In early February 2026, Colombian authorities began extradition procedures for an infamous kingpin and leader of the La Inmaculada cartel, Andres Felipe Marín Silva, to the United States (U.S.) hours before a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

On February 3, 2026, French police raided X premises in Paris, and prosecutors issued a summons for the social media company’s owner, Elon Musk. The raid follows a larger investigation by the cybercrime police division in Paris related to several allegations, including possible complicity in the distribution of child pornography and content that denies crimes against humanity.

On February 2, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Baltimore Field Office, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), and Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (MCCSAO) announced a collaborative partnership and joint investigation focusing on various fraud schemes linked to government impersonation and tech support scams targeting Maryland residents and hundreds of other victims around the country, originating from scam call center operations in India.

On February 4, 2026, the United Nations (UN) Security Council held a meeting for a briefing on the Secretary-General’s 22nd biannual strategic-level report on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, hereinafter referred to as “Da’esh”) to international peace and security. The briefers were Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism and Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Alexandre Zouev, and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Natalia Gherman.

 On January 27, 2026, Dutch court Judge Rene Melaard sentenced 42-year-old Amanuel Walid, also known as Tewelde Goitom, to imprisonment for twenty years for operating a migration route to Europe through Libya. The court convicted him of membership in a criminal organization, human trafficking, and extortion.

On January 26, 2026, Norwegian police announced they had charged an oil company and two executives in Norway with paying millions of dollars in bribes to close family members of the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso.[1] The charges include gross corruption and gross accounting violations.

On January 26, 2026, Chatham House, a world-leading policy institute seeking to address geopolitical challenges and international problems, published a notable research study, Securing justice for cyber-enabled international crimes.