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The Woman Who Led Crypto Policing in the U.S. Guesses What's Next for Regulation

NextGov: As an assistant U.S. Attorney for northern California, Kathryn Haun peered into some of the darkest corners of the cryptocurrency world. Among her greatest hits were the prosecution of a pair of rogue federal agents who were stealing bitcoin while investigating the illicit marketplace Silk Road in 2015, and settling a criminal investigation into Ripple later that same year.

Those were uncertain times for the cryptocurrency world. It was associated with black-market drugs through Silk Road and the meteoric rise—and just as sudden collapse—of the Tokyo-based Mt. Gox exchange. Haun, who goes by Katie, became the point person for all things cryptocurrency in the U.S. government, heading the first cross-agency task force on the industry. She held that post until last year.

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