U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) withdrew the domains of three crypto exchanges related to money laundering for the russian federation totaling more than $800 million. According to the press release, UAPS, PM2BTC and Cryptex facilitated illegal transactions. In addition, two Russian citizens have been charged with misappropriating millions of dollars through a large-scale money laundering scheme involving cybercriminals around the world.
According to declassified court documents, the DOJ charged a citizen of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, also known as «Taleon», with providing money laundering services to cybercriminals, including ransomware groups and darknet traffickers.
Ivanov allegedly created and operated the Russian payment and exchange services UAPS, PinPays and PM2BTC, which processed about $1.15 billion in digital assets for money laundering purposes between July 2013 and August 2024.
Another crypto exchange, Cryptex, was also found to be involved in money laundering. It processed $1.4 billion worth of transactions, 31% of which were related to criminal activity. The US authorities seized the Cryptex.net and Cryptex.one domains. These sites offered users anonymity, allowing them to register on the exchange without complying with KYC requirements.
The documents also implicate Timur Shakhmametov, a Russian citizen who was accused of running Joker’s Stash, one of the largest websites selling stolen credit and debit cards.
According to the press release, an analysis of the cryptocurrency blockchain showed that approximately 32% of all bitcoin transactions processed by these exchanges were related to criminal activity. About $158 million in bitcoins were related to fraud, more than $8.8 million were payments of funds received through ransomware, and about $4.7 million came from the sale of illegal substances on the darknet.
Along with the Department of Justice, the U.S. Treasury Department also imposed sanctions against Ivanov and Cryptex. The U.S. State Department has announced an $11 million reward for information leading to the arrest of other individuals involved in the activities of Ivanov or Joker’s Stash.
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