Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 U.S. jury indicted 38-year-old Alexander Vinnik on Midweek afterwards his arrest inwards Hellenic Republic on Tuesday at the asking of U.S. law enforcement authorities. The suspect is ane of the operators of BTC-e, a service operational since 2011.
Headquartered inwards Russia, the digital currency telephone commutation has been offline since the arrest of Vinnik, in addition to its homepage says, "Site is nether maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.."
According to a press release published past times the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), BTC-e ignored "know your customer" laws inwards an endeavour to serve criminals, in addition to fifty-fifty hosted message boards buzzing alongside illegal activities.
BTC-e Linked to Collapse of Mt. Gox Bitcoin Exchange
This illustration is actually of import for the law enforcement because it could bring out the possible culprit behind the collapse of the once-very pop Japanese bitcoin telephone commutation Mt. Gox, which was nigh downward inwards 2014 next a massive serial of mysterious robberies, which totalled at to the lowest degree $375 ane grand m inwards Bitcoin.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Vinnik obtained funds from the hacker or insider who stole bitcoins from Mt. Gox in addition to sent them to a bitcoin wallet controlled past times Vinnik, who intentionally laundered them through BTC-e, over a menstruum of 3 years.
"After the coins entered Vinnik's wallets, nigh were moved to BTC-e in addition to presumably sold off or laundered (BTC-e money codes were a pop choice). In full about 300,000 BTC ended upwards on BTC-e," according to WizSec, a Japanese safety theatre that has long been investigating the Mt. Gox case.
"To hold out clear, this investigation turned upwards prove to position Vinnik non equally a hacker/thief but equally a money launderer; his arrest tidings likewise suggests this is what he is beingness suspected for. He may bring only bought inexpensive coins from thieves in addition to offered a laundering service."
Vinnik arrest is the latest inwards a serial of U.S. investigations against Russian cybercriminals inwards Europe, next the shutdown of ii of the biggest night spider web marketplaces, AlphaBay in addition to Hansa, terminal week.
While Greek constabulary described Vinnik equally "an internationally sought ‘mastermind’ of a criminal offense organisation," U.S. government defendant him of facilitating crimes including hacking, identity theft, taxation refund fraud, populace corruption in addition to drug trafficking.
Vinnik is to hold out charged alongside performance of an unlicensed money service business, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, in addition to engaging inwards unlawful monetary transactions.
If institute guilty, the suspect could aspect to 55 years inwards prison, together alongside a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the holding involved inwards the transaction for each count.
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