Airline Loyalty Programs Face New Uncertainty as Visa–Mastercard Fee Settlement Evolves 
Momenta Quietly Moves Toward Hong Kong IPO Amid Rising China-U.S. Tensions 
ExxonMobil to Shut Older Singapore Steam Cracker Amid Global Petrochemical Downturn 
UPS MD-11 Crash Prompts Families to Prepare Wrongful Death Lawsuit 
USPS Expands Electric Vehicle Fleet as Nationwide Transition Accelerates 
Hikvision Challenges FCC Rule Tightening Restrictions on Chinese Telecom Equipment 
OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities 
GM Issues Recall for 2026 Chevrolet Silverado Trucks Over Missing Owner Manuals 
Tesla Expands Affordable Model 3 Lineup in Europe to Boost EV Demand 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation 
Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX 
Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature 
Proxy Advisors Urge Vote Against ANZ’s Executive Pay Report Amid Scandal Fallout 
Tesla Faces 19% Drop in UK Registrations as Competition Intensifies 
Trump Administration to Secure Equity Stake in Pat Gelsinger’s XLight Startup 
IKEA Expands U.S. Manufacturing Amid Rising Tariffs and Supply Chain Strategy Shift 
A SpaceX engineer reportedly pleaded guilty of conspiracy to perpetrate securities fraud through selling insider information on the dark web. This is said to be the first case that was brought to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission involving violations in the deep web sphere.
About Elon Musk’s employees’ case
Reuters reported that the SpaceX’s engineers’ guilty plea was revealed by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC on Thursday, March 18. The accused has been identified as James Roland Jones of Redondo Beach, California, and with the development in his case, he is facing a five-year imprisonment term in federal jail.
This is said to be the maximum penalty that Jones could get in his guilty plea. However, the official sentencing for the litigation has not been set yet.
The DOJ and the SEC disclosed that from the year 2016 until 2017, the SpaceX engineer conspired with someone whose identity was not revealed. The said person accesses different dark web marketplaces to look for material and confidential information that he can use for his own securities trading business.
Based on the report, Jones also concocted a plan to sell what he said were insider tips on the dark web though it appears that the info was actually false. He has been earning in this scheme as some people are purchasing the tips using bitcoin.
At any rate, the dark web is a part of the World Wide Web that is only accessible through the use of special software. It allows users and website operators to access the internet anonymously, and they couldn’t be traced either. This is usually used to host websites engaged in illegal activities.
Is SpaceX involved in the case?
It is not clear if Jones is currently working in SpaceX or he was already terminated. Moreover, the justice department did not reveal if the illegal trading was done while he was working for Elon Musk’s company or not.
It turned out that the FBI has been investigating his criminal case since 2017, and this led to the DOJ’s charges against him. But then again, despite his link to SpaceX, the SEC did not mention the company in Jone’s case. Meanwhile, the exchange commission, the DOJ, and SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked for comments.
