Three Russians Charged with Money Laundering via Crypto Mixers
- Three Russian nationals linked to Blender.io and Sinbad.io face money laundering charges.
- Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko and Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik have been arrested; Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov is at-large.
- The services were dismantled by authorities, with equipment seized.
- Blender.io was previously sanctioned for aiding North Korean hackers in concealing crypto proceeds.
- This marks the first U.S. Treasury sanctions against a crypto mixer.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged three Russians with operating crypto mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io for laundering funds, including ransomware proceeds. Two individuals were arrested, while one remains at large. Authorities dismantled the operations, which had been sanctioned for facilitating cyber thefts by North Korean hackers.
