US arrests Russian crypto boss who ‘catered to known crooks’
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Loading... - Ella Martin
- 24 Feb 2023
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Department of Justice says Anatoly Legkodymov operated the Hong Kong-registered Bitzlato exchange as a money laundering haven.
United States authorities have arrested a Russian national accused of running a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange as a money laundering outfit.
The US Department of Justice said Anatoly Legkodymov, 40, a Russian living in Shenzhen, China, is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday for his role in transmitting a total of $700m in illicit funds through the virtual currency exchange Bitzlato, which marketed itself as requiring minimal identification from users.The arrest was conducted in conjunction with the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and foreign authorities, officials said.
“Overnight, the Department worked with key partners here and abroad to disrupt Bitzlato, the China-based money laundering engine that fueled a high-tech axis of cryptocrime, and to arrest its founder, Russian national Anatoly Legkodymov,” US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told reporters in Washington, DC. Read More..
