US Charges Crypto Mixers Blender and Sinbad
Date: 2025-01-13 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: BUSINESS
The US has charged three Russians — Roman Ostapenko, Alexander Oleynik, and Anton Tarasov — with organizing a criminal scheme to launder funds and manage unregistered crypto services. According to authorities, these mixers were used by criminals to launder money obtained as a result of cyberattacks, including using ransomware.
Roman Ostapenko and Alexander Oleynik were detained in the US, while Anton Tarasov, another suspect, is wanted internationally. Mixer operations made it possible to hide the origin of illegal funds, which makes them important tools for criminal groups. Each defendant is expected to face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, and up to five years for each violation related to illegal activity on financial platforms.
Notably, the case also involves a major cryptocurrency seizure. A California court recently upheld a Supreme Court ruling that gave the U.S. Marshals Service permission to sell 69,370 BTC previously seized from the Silk Road, a well-known darknet platform.
U.S. authorities emphasize that cryptocurrency mixers are often used to hide financial transactions, which poses a threat to financial security and law enforcement.
