Bitcoin Depot, a top crypto ATM vendor, to pay nearly $2M to compensate fraud victims
A photo illustration of a physical gold Bitcoin collectible on December 3,2025, in London, England. (Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
(MAINE) — One of the country’s top cryptocurrency kiosk vendors has agreed to pay the state of Maine nearly $2 million as part of a settlement to compensate victims of fraud, the state announced on Monday.
Bitcoin Depot, which operates more than 25,000 bitcoin ATMs across the country, will pay the state $1.9 million, which represents money “taken by third-party scammers who defrauded Maine consumers through their kiosks.”
Victims of fraud perpetrated using Bitcoin Depot kiosks may apply for compensation from the state. As part of the settlement, Bitcoin Depot admits to no wrongdoing or violation of state or federal laws.
Bitcoin ATMs, which allow users to insert cash and send it to a digital wallet anywhere in the world in only a few minutes, have emerged as scammers’ top go-to method for separating Americans from their cash, according to experts.
In a typical scam, fraudsters will convince their victims that they must make a payment or safeguard their cash by inserting it in a bitcoin ATM. Once the transaction is executed, experts say, the money can be nearly impossible to recover — making it an attractive method for prospective scammers.
In 2025, Americans lost more than $333 million to bitcoin ATM scams, the FBI recently told ABC News, representing a dramatic uptick from prior years.
Maine has taken some of the nation’s most aggressive steps in limiting the proliferation of scams using bitcoin ATMs, including establishing daily deposit limits and capping transaction fees.
A spokesperson for Bitcoin Depot, which currently faces a separate lawsuit in Iowa, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — A person was shot in an incident involving U.S. Border Patrol in Arivaca, Arizona, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson told ABC News.
The shooting occurred early Tuesday morning, the Santa Rita Fire District said. Emergency responders provided first aid at the scene and the person was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, officials said.
The FBI described the incident as “an alleged assault on a federal officer” and said “the subject was taken into custody.”
Pima County Sheriff spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said, “All we have to release at this, at this point, is that a U.S. Border Patrol agent was involved in a shooting here in Arivaca, and that the FBI Phoenix office has called the sheriff’s department to assist in this investigation.”
The sheriff’s office said it’s leading the use-of-force investigation involving the agent, at the request of the FBI.
“We ask the community to remain patient and understanding as this investigation moves forward,” the sheriff’s department said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
In this image released by the Walton County Sheriffs Office, law enforment vehicles are shown at the scene of a stabbing investigation at Walton Middle School in Defuniak, Fla., on March 24, 2026. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Florida)
(DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla.) — A middle school student is in custody after allegedly stabbing two children and one adult at his Florida school on Tuesday, authorities said.
The attack — which happened in less than 45 seconds — unfolded after the suspect was dropped off at 7:17 a.m. at Walton Middle School in DeFuniak Springs in the Florida Panhandle, Sheriff Michael Adkinson said.
The school was not fully open at the time and there were about 40 students in the building, Adkinson said at a news conference.
The suspect allegedly went into a bathroom and then emerged a few minutes later wearing a mask and armed with a “sharp implement,” the sheriff said.
The boy allegedly went up to a fellow student and stabbed them multiple times, Adkinson said. He then allegedly went down the hall and attacked an adult, and then stabbed another child, the sheriff said.
The suspect fled but was apprehended near the school about seven minutes after the stabbings, Adkinson said.
The two children were seriously injured: one was life-flighted to a hospital in Pensacola and the other was taken to Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, a level two trauma center, the sheriff said. The wounded adult was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
The sheriff did not discuss a potential motive.
The school canceled classes for the day, the sheriff’s office said.
In this handout, the mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019. (Kypros/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released another batch of photographs obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including some never-before-seen images of Epstein with famous men whose connections to the deceased sex offender have previously been reported.
The disclosure by the committee Democrats includes images of Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, former Prince Andrew and billionaire Richard Branson, among others.
The context, time frame and location of the photographs are unclear.
“These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee. “We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”
The 19 photos made public are from a cache of more than 95,000 photos turned over to the committee by the Epstein estate in response to a subpoena, the committee Democrats said in a press release.
Other images under review by the committee include thousands of photos of women and Epstein properties, according to the release.
The images come from the hard drive of one of Epstein’s personal computers and one of his email accounts, according to the committee Democrats.
The disclosure includes a rare image of Bill Clinton with both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. In the photo a smiling Clinton stands in the middle of a group of five people, with Maxwell and Epstein on the right and another unidentified woman and man on the left. The photo includes what appears to be Clinton’s signature.
Vanity Fair magazine previously published an image of Epstein with Clinton that was said to be taken aboard Epstein’s jet in 2002. That photo was credited by the magazine to one of Epstein’s assistants. Epstein and Maxwell were previously seen greeting then-President Clinton in a 1993 photo at a White House event for donors to the nonprofit White House Historical Association. That picture was found in the archives at the Clinton Presidential Library.
Three of the photos show Donald Trump, though Epstein himself appears in only one. That picture appears to be from a 1997 Victoria’s Secret event in New York, and shows Epstein next to Trump as he talks with one of the models at the event. Other photos from that party have been public for years.
Another photo shows Trump seated on an airplane next to a woman -apparently and adult — whose face is covered with a black box. In the third photo, a black and white image shows Trump in the center of a photo with six women, who all appear to be adults and whose faces are also redacted. That image appears to be from a public event, though the location and timeframe are not known.
A spokesperson for the Republican majority on the House Oversight Committee criticized the Democrats’ for “cherry-picking” photos to malign President Trump.
“Once again, Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Oversight Committee Democrats are cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump,” the spokesperson said. “We received over 95,000 photos and Democrats released just a handful. Democrats’ hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked. Nothing in the documents we’ve received shows any wrongdoing. It is shameful Rep. Garcia and Democrats continue to put politics above justice for the survivors.”
Among the famous men pictured with Epstein in the newly disclosed photos are titans of Hollywood, business, academia and politics.
Appearance of these men in the photos is not evidence of wrongdoing.
In one image, a casually-dressed Epstein is seen chatting with director Woody Allen on what looks like a film set. Allen sits in a director’s chair peering intently at Epstein who appears to be looking at a video monitor.
Allen appears in three other photos: aboard an airplane with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and his wife, seated at a table with Epstein and a woman whose face is covered with a black box, and chatting with political strategist Steve Bannon, who worked for President Trump during his first administration.
There’s a selfie photo of Bannon with Epstein, apparently taken by Epstein on a mobile phone as the pair stand in front of a mirror, and another of Bannon sitting across from Epstein at a desk.
Billionaire Richard Branson appears in one image, seated outdoors with another man with Epstein standing behind. The smiling men appear to be sharing a chuckle as Branson holds up a page from a notebook. A large black box covers whatever it is that is on the notebook page.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is shown in two photos, though Epstein is not present in either. One photo shows Gates with the former Prince Andrew, both in suit and tie, gazing at each other in a dark paneled room with other people in the background. Another shows Gates standing next to Larry Visoski, Epstein’s longtime private pilot, beside what appears to be Epstein’s black Gulfstream jet. Gates, in a gray pullover sweater, has books under his arm and a leather briefcase in his hand.
The disclosure by the House Democrats also includes three photos depicting apparent sexual paraphernalia; no people are in those images and the context of the images is unclear.
Another image shows what appears to be a joke or a novelty gift item, a likeness of Trump on what appears to be a condom wrapper that says, “I’m HUUUUGE!”
“Trump Condom, $4.50, FINALLY,” reads a handwritten sign.
