Summary: The US Justice Department has charged three Russian nationals for operating cryptocurrency mixers used in money laundering, including by ransomware groups. The mixers, Blender.io and Sinbad.io, facilitated the laundering of funds from various criminal activities.
Threat Actor: Russian Nationals | Russian Nationals
Victim: Cryptocurrency Users | Cryptocurrency Users
Key Point :
- Charges include conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
- Blender.io operated from 2018 to 2022, while Sinbad.io was active until November 2023.
- Both mixers were sanctioned by the US for their connections to North Korean hackers.
- Oleynik and Ostapenko were arrested, while Tarasov remains at large.
- They face significant prison time if convicted, up to 25 years in total.