The drama continues to unfold when it comes to Tokyo-based Mt. Gox. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal prosecutors in the state of New York have subpoenaed Mt. Gox. The news comes from an individual familiar with the matter, according to WSJ.
The subpoena was reportedly sent to the exchange this month, and mandated the preservation of documents and other items not described.
This evening we learned that Jon Fisher, a consultant, interviewed Gox CEO Mark Karpeles, in which he confirmed a crisis strategy report was “more or less” legitimate. The report indicated the company had lost upwards of 700,000 BTC (worth over $250 million USD), among other things.
It’s unclear just how Gox will respond to the subpoena, but this story is getting increasingly coiled by the day.
Updated 10:40PM ET, 25 February 2013: Reuters is reporting that authorities in Japan are also looking into the exchange after it abruptly went offline on Monday evening, according to what has been described as a “top government spokesperson”.
“At this stage the relevant financial authorities, the police, the Finance Ministry and others are gathering information on the case,” said Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary.
The Financial Services agency and also the Finance Ministry has said they do not have jurisdiction over Mt. Gox, as they do not deal in traditional fiat currency.
More developments as they come.
