A Russian National who runs a crypto exchange in Hong Kong was arrested last night in Miami. Prosecutors at the Justice Department say the firm Bitzlato processed over $700 million dollars in illicit funds that were made from crimes including ransomware and drug trafficking. Now the firm’s majority shareholder Anatoly Legodeemov is charged with conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business and faces five years in prison.
Lisa Monaco: “Operating off shore or moving your servers out of the continental US will not shield you.”
The Justice Department said the crypto exchange Bitzlato catered to known crooks, and purposefully worked around safeguards put in place by the US government to detect and investigate financial crimes. Bitzlato is even accused of advertising that they require minimal identifying information from clients to complete their transactions.
Breon Peace: “The result was that Bitzlato became a safe haven for criminals, including drug dealers and ransomware groups. They knew that when the police traced their funds to Bitzlato, Bitlato would not be able to turn over its users’ true identities.”
The FBI says it is working to keep crypto markets free of illicit activity. Deputy Attorney General Monaco says the Justice Department is also taking steps to address what she called a crisis of confidence in the crypto currency markets. For more crypto coverage stick with Straight Arrow News for unbiased straight facts.