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Money Laundering

Crypto and money laundering: What you need to know

Crypto money laundering involves structured methods to conceal illicit fund origins and evade regulations, including AML.

Crypto money laundering involves concealing illegally obtained funds by funneling them through cryptocurrency transactions to obscure their origin. Criminals may operate offchain but move funds onchain to facilitate laundering.

Traditionally, illicit money was moved using couriers or informal networks like Hawala. However, with the rise of digital assets, bad actors now exploit blockchain technology to transfer large amounts of money. With evolving techniques and increasing regulation, authorities continue working to track and mitigate the misuse of cryptocurrencies for money laundering.

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Secret Service Launches Operation Targeting Alleged Money Laundering Crypto Exchange

Secret Service Launches Operation Targeting Alleged Money Laundering Crypto Exchange

The U.S. Secret Service is targeting the masterminds behind the Russian crypto exchange Garantex for their role in an alleged money laundering operation. In a press release, the Secret Service says it is going after Garantex for allegedly facilitating the transaction of hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal proceeds, some of which was used […]

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Binance Under Investigation in France for Money Laundering, Tax Fraud and Other Charges: Report

Binance Under Investigation in France for Money Laundering, Tax Fraud and Other Charges: Report

The world’s largest crypto exchange is facing a new investigation into what the company calls “old” allegations in France. According to a new Reuters report, French authorities are investigating charges of money laundering in connection with drug trafficking against Binance. Said an unnamed Binance spokesperson to Reuters, “Binance fully denies the allegations and will vigorously […]

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BTC Donor Denied Bail: South African Law Enforcement Claims Incriminating Evidence, While Man Denies Accusations

BTC Donor Denied Bail: South African Law Enforcement Claims Incriminating Evidence, While Man Denies AccusationsA South African law enforcement agency has opposed bail for Ziyadh Hoorzook, who is accused of donating bitcoin to an organization allegedly funding terrorism. Hawks Say They Uncovered Compelling Evidence A South African law enforcement agency recently argued against granting bail to a man accused of donating $614 in bitcoin (BTC) to an organization allegedly […]

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US Federal Grand Jury Indicts Three Russian Nationals on Charges Related to Operating Crypto Mixing Services

US Federal Grand Jury Indicts Three Russian Nationals on Charges Related to Operating Crypto Mixing Services

A grand jury has indicted three Russian citizens on charges connected to operating crypto-tumbling services. According to a new press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a federal grand jury has indicted Russian nationals Roman Ostapenko, Alexander Oleynik and Anton Tarasov for their alleged involvement in operating crypto mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io. Crypto […]

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Blender and Sinbad operators face US money laundering charges

Two Russian nationals face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, while one remains at large.

The US Justice Department has indicted three Russian nationals alleged to have committed money laundering due to their involvement in operating cryptocurrency mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io.

In a Jan. 10 notice, US authorities said a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment for Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov.

The indictment alleged that the crypto-mixing services operated by the three men allowed criminals to launder funds “stolen from victims of ransomware, virtual currency thefts, and other crimes,” according to US Attorney Ryan Buchanan.

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Bitfinex hacker speaks out after sentencing

Ilya Lichtenstein urged his social media followers not to blame his wife — also implicated in money laundering — for the 2016 Bitfinex hack.

Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker who stole and laundered Bitcoin from the crypto exchange Bitfinex, has released a statement on social media after being sentenced to five years in prison.

In a Dec. 19 X post, Lichtenstein reaffirmed many of the statements he made in court leading to his incarceration. He confessed to hacking Bitfinex in 2016 and laundering “thousands of Bitcoin” but suggested he wanted to shoulder the entirety of the blame rather than his wife, Heather Morgan, who was also sentenced to prison time for her role in laundering Bitcoin (BTC).

“I knew what I was doing was wrong and did it anyway because I didn’t care, I didn’t care about anyone else except myself,” said Lichtenstein in a video message from prison, often appearing as though he were reading a prepared statement. 

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Crypto Money Laundering: Aussie Agency to Target Crypto ATM Providers

Crypto Money Laundering: Aussie Agency to Target Crypto ATM ProvidersAustralia’s financial intelligence agency has said it will crack down on cryptocurrency ATM providers to combat money laundering and scams. Task Force Targets Crypto ATMs The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), Australia’s financial intelligence agency, announced Dec. 6 it will crack down on cryptocurrency ATM providers that fail to comply with the country’s […]

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Russia sentences Hydra market founder to life in prison

Hydra market founder Stanislav Moiseev and 15 of his accomplices were jailed for between 8 and 23 years for their involvement in the darknet market and crypto mixer.

Stanislav Moiseev, the founder of the online black market and crypto mixing service Hydra which took in over $5 billion worth of crypto during its operation, has been sentenced to life in prison by a Russian court.

A Moscow Regional Court found Moiseev and 15 of his accomplices guilty of organizing a criminal community and illegally producing and selling psychotropic substances and drugs, according to a Dec. 2 statement from the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office.

Sentences handed down to Moiseev’s 15 accomplices varied from 8 to 23 years.

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Bitfinex money launderer ‘Razzlekhan’ sentenced to 18 months in prison

A federal judge sentenced Heather Morgan, also known as Razzlekhan, to 18 months in prison for laundering stolen Bitcoin connected to Bitfinex.

One of the two individuals responsible for laundering stolen Bitcoin connected to the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Washington, DC, District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Heather Morgan — also known by her rapper alter ego “Razzlekhan” — to 18 months in prison in a Nov. 18 hearing. Morgan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and defraud the United States in August 2023.

Morgan and her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, admitted to laundering millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin (BTC) stolen from Bitfinex before their 2022 arrests. US authorities initially suspected the couple had only been responsible for laundering the stolen funds, but Lichtenstein later admitted in court to hacking the exchange.

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