M3AAWG’s 68th General Meeting, taking place this week in Paris, France, kicks off with the presentation of the 2026 J.D. Falk Award, recognizing the international law enforcement teams behind the Prince Group: the National Crime Agency, FBI, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and international law enforcement partners, including those from the Isle of Man.
The Prince Group Takedown is the result of more than a decade of international law enforcement cooperation targeting an alleged criminal enterprise responsible for large-scale cryptocurrency investment fraud, human trafficking, and forced-labor scam operations. With 15+ billion in cryptocurrency at stake and legal proceedings still unfolding, the operation highlights both the scale of global cybercrime and the importance of international and cross-industry cooperation.
The M3AAWG J.D. Falk Award seeks to recognize those who have demonstrated dedication to improving the Internet experience and protecting end users, recognizing the importance of protecting the broader Internet community and ecosystem. Browse through previous J.D. Falk Award recipients.
The international law enforcement teams behind the Prince Group takedown exemplify these principles. By working together across international borders, their efforts help to disrupt cyber-enabled crime, dismantle criminal infrastructure, and protect individuals from online abuse and exploitation.
The Prince Group Takedown reinforces what M3AAWG has embodied for decades: combating online abuse requires organizations to share their experiences, connect across industries, and work together to break down the systems that enable it.
M3AAWG has spent much of 2026 bringing attention to the very threats reflected in the Prince Group Takedown. At M3AAWG's 66th General Meeting in San Diego, keynote speaker Erin West, founder of Operation Shamrock, presented “Inside the Global Scam Ecosystem: Pig Butchering, Trafficking & Industrialized Fraud,” examining the complex criminal networks behind large-scale financial fraud, human trafficking, and forced-labor scam operations.
Continuing this conversation at M3AAWG's 67th General Meeting in Montréal, cybercrime investigator Paul Raffile brought “Sextortion: The Most Dangerous Scam”, which focused attention on the Yahoo Boys, an organized cybercrime network responsible for financial sextortion targeting minors. His keynote highlighted the real-world harm and human impact of online exploitation and the need for greater coordination among industry, researchers, and law enforcement. Paul’s insightful keynote led M3AAWGers to create our End Online Sextortion Initiative.
These discussions demonstrate why sharing knowledge is only part of the solution. Meaningful progress requires turning that knowledge into action across organizations, industries, and borders.
The Prince Group Takedown is a powerful example of what can be accomplished through international cooperation and a shared commitment to combating online abuse. The law enforcement teams involved have made an extraordinary contribution to protecting Internet users and disrupting cybercriminal networks that enable exploitation on a massive scale. Their work reflects the very principles that M3AAWG and the J.D. Falk Award stands for, and we are proud to recognize their efforts with the 2026 J.D. Falk Award.
Nominations are open for M3AAWG’s Mary Lytinski Award, which is presented during our February General Meeting. Our next Lytinski Award opportunity will be at M3AAWG’s 69th General Meeting, February 15-18, 2027, in Vancouver, Canada. The Mary Litynski Award seeks to bring attention to the remarkable work that is done far from the public eye over a significant period of time–work undertaken by dedicated and driven individuals for the greater good. In doing so, we continue to honor the commitment and legacy of our good friend Mary. View previous Mary Litynski Award winners.
*Due to ongoing legal proceedings, information available in this blog is limited to publicly available information. Readers can follow the investigation and ongoing proceedings directly on the U.S. Department of Justice page.