The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced the arrest of Russian national Anatoly Legkodymov, a resident of Shenzhen, China, for alleged money laundering through Bitzlato, a Chinese cryptocurrency company based in Hong Kong.
The man, who is the majority shareholder of Bitzlato, was arrested the day before for «helping to operate a cryptocurrency exchange that enabled criminals to profit from their misdeeds, including data theft and drug trafficking,» the Department said in a statement.
Assistant Attorney General Kennet Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said his arrest demonstrates that the United States continues to work with its partners, both foreign and domestic, to combat crimes using cryptocurrencies.
For his part, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, has pointed out that «institutions that trade cryptocurrencies are not above the law.» «Their owners are not beyond our reach,» he added.
Likewise, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Brian Turner has indicated that his agency «will continue to pursue actors who attempt to mask their criminal activity behind keyboards and use means such as cryptocurrencies to evade law enforcement.»
According to the DOJ, Bitzlato has become a haven for funds that engage in criminal activity. Thus, customers of the Hong Kong-based company used the customer service portal to request transactions with Hydra, the world’s largest ‘darknet’ marketplace based in Russia, which is already sanctioned by Washington.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
