Mission & North Star

FinCrime Observer documents financial crime in the cyberfinance environment (crypto, payments, open banking, offshore casinos, scam platforms, laundering networks) through case-driven reporting: people, entities, rails, and court outcomes.

North Star: Make FCO the reference feed where readers can follow cases and individuals over time with reliable court dates, filings, and status changes — written with energy, without outrunning the record.

Tone Rules: “Forensic Sensationalism”

• Write hard, stay precise. Anchor every punchline in the record.
• Lead with impact, then cite the record: charging docs, judgments, official releases, transcripts.
• Use status labels throughout: Alleged / Charged / Pled Guilty / Convicted / Sentenced / Released.
• Short paragraphs. Strong verbs. Clear labels. No melodrama without documentation.
• No “how-to” crime content (no laundering recipes, evasion playbooks, step-by-step fraud methods).

Evidence Standards

Source hierarchy (what counts as “true” at FCO):

• Tier 1 (Primary / dispositive): indictments, complaints, affidavits, warrants, plea agreements, judgments, sentencing memos, docket entries, transcripts; official statements by courts, prosecutors, regulators.
• Tier 2 (Strong secondary): reputable outlets citing primary documents with clear attribution.
• Tier 3 (Leads only): social posts, forums, anonymous tips. Allowed only as signals and must be labeled.

Defamation-Safe Language

• Never declare guilt where not adjudicated.
• Use safe attribution: “prosecutors allege,” “the indictment claims,” “court records show,” “according to the judgment.”
• Avoid declaratives like “is a criminal” or “stole” unless conviction/judgment supports it.
• No doxxing: no private addresses, phone numbers, family details. Names/aliases only if documented.
• Right of reply: for major dossiers, note “FCO requested comment” / “no response received” where feasible.

Court & Docket Standards (FCO’s Differentiator)

Every case-related article must include a Court & Docket block:

• Court + jurisdiction
• Case number (if available)
• Procedural posture (charged / pretrial / plea / sentencing / appeal)
• Next known date(s) (hearing/trial/sentencing/deadlines) or “No future date listed as of [date].”
• “Last checked” date (docket freshness)

Confidence Grading (Mandatory)

Grade key assertions (identity, control, money trail, rail attribution):

• Confirmed — directly supported by Tier-1 sources.
• Corroborated — supported by multiple independent Tier-2 and/or partial Tier-1.
• Indicated — credible lead, not yet strongly documented.
• Unknown — cannot be reliably assessed.

Pre-Publish Safety Checklist

• Status label correct; allegations separated from proven facts.
• Court & Docket block complete (or explicitly unknown).
• Evidence Box included; confidence grades applied to key claims.
• No instructional content; no insinuation beyond sources.
• Names/aliases sourced; no doxxing; avoid defamation-by-implication.

Mandatory Close: Whistle42

Every article ends with a Call for Information inviting insiders, victims, investigators, and industry personnel to submit documents, descriptors, wallet addresses, entity records, or court filings via Whistle42. No reward hype. No promises. Protective and professional tone.

Boilerplate Blocks (Copy/Paste)

AI Drafting Rules (Internal)

• AI may draft; editors remain accountable for verification.
• AI outputs must include: status labels, Court & Docket, Evidence Box, Confidence Grades, Whistle42 close.
• If verification is not possible, downgrade to Indicated/Unknown and state the limitation.

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