Roman Sterlingov, founder of Bitcoin Fog, received a prison sentence of 12 years for laundering a significant amount of bitcoins on darknet markets.
Case of Roman Sterlingov
The court in Washington D.C. sentenced Roman Sterlingov, founder of Bitcoin Fog, to 12 years and 6 months of imprisonment. It was revealed that he laundered over 1.2 million bitcoins. The court also imposed a $395.6 million forfeiture money judgment and ordered the confiscation of assets valued at approximately $1.76 million.
The Trial Proceedings
Roman Sterlingov was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2021 and remained in custody for over three years. During the trial, Sterlingov denied his involvement in the mixer's operations and fee collection, but this did not convince the jury. In March 2024, he was convicted of laundering $400 million in bitcoins through an unlicensed money transmitting business.
History of Crypto Frauds
History records other crimes related to crypto mixing services, including Larry Harmon of Helix and Ilya Lichtenstein linked to the 2016 Bitfinex hack. Meanwhile, Tornado Cash developers Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm await trial in April 2025.
The case of Roman Sterlingov has become one of the largest cryptocurrency-related court cases, drawing attention to the issue of mixers being used for criminal purposes.
