On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Russian nationals Roman Vitalievich Ostapenko, Aleksandr Evgenievich Oleinik, and Anton Vyaklavovich with running a service that helped criminals launder cryptocurrencies.・Announcing the indictment of Mr. Tarasov.
The three were allegedly involved in operating two crypto mixers, Bender.io and Sinbad.io, which were used as “safe havens for the laundering of criminally derived money, including the proceeds of ransomware and wire fraud. It was working,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Wible. The statement was made in a press release by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Justice.
Bender.io and Sinbad.io were seized in an international law enforcement operation in 2023 and are suspected of being used by North Korean hackers and ransomware criminal organizations skilled at stealing and laundering millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies . Make money by extorting ransom from hacked companies.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Justice, Ostapenko and Oleinik were arrested on December 1, 2024, while Tarasov remains at large.
According to Wible, all three have “made it easier for state-sponsored hacker groups and other cybercriminals to profit from crimes that endanger both public safety and national security.”
Ostapenko is charged with money laundering and operating an unauthorized money transfer business, while Oleinik, 44, and Tarasov are charged with money laundering conspiracy and operating an unauthorized money transfer business. The charges also carry a possible sentence of 30 years in prison. How many years in prison?
A seizure notice appears on the website of Sinbad, the Bitcoin mixing service accused of helping North Korean hackers launder stolen cryptocurrencies. Image credit: Sinbad (screen capture)
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