- Seizure of Crypto Exchange Domains
- Allegations Against Russian Nationals
- Additional Sanctions and Statements
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized domains of three cryptocurrency exchanges allegedly facilitating illegal transactions worth over $800 million. These actions were taken as part of efforts to combat money laundering involving Russian nationals.
Seizure of Crypto Exchange Domains
The US authorities obtained court authorization to seize the domains of UAPS, PM2BTC, and Cryptex. Anyone who opens those domains will see a government notice indicating the site has been seized due to illegal activity.
Allegations Against Russian Nationals
On September 26, the US DOJ charged two Russian nationals in connection with a major money laundering scheme involving a network of cybercriminals. According to court documents, Russian national Sergey Ivanov, also known as “Taleon,” operated various money laundering services for cybercriminals, including ransomware groups and darknet drug traffickers. Ivanov allegedly created and operated Russian payment and exchange services UAPS, PinPays, and PM2BTC, to process approximately $1.15 billion in digital asset transactions. Moreover, another crypto exchange, Cryptex, was found to facilitate transactions worth $1.4 billion, with 31% linked to criminal activity.
Additional Sanctions and Statements
Russian national Timur Shakhmametov was also indicted for operating Joker’s Stash, one of the largest carding websites in history, which sold stolen credit and debit card information. Blockchain analysis revealed that approximately 32% of all traced Bitcoin processed by these exchanges were associated with criminal activity – over $158 million linked to fraud, $8.8 million used for ransomware payments, and around $4.7 million originated from darknet drug markets. Alongside the DOJ, the US Treasury sanctioned Ivanov and Cryptex, while the State Department offered an $11 million reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved.
The actions taken by the US DOJ to seize the domains of these crypto exchanges underline the authorities' efforts to combat money laundering and cryptocurrency-related crimes. These measures aim to enhance control and ensure transparency in digital financial operations.
Comments