Bad news for cryptocurrency investors who rely on the Bitzlato exchange. Because if you go to her website today, you’ll find:
reason? The company’s founder, Anatoly Legkodymov, was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice that he handled $700 million worth of “dirty money” on behalf of criminals.
Leg Kodimov, a Russian national living in China, was arrested in Miami as part of an international operation with French and other national law enforcement agencies.
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At a press conference announcing Legkodimov’s arrest, federal prosecutor Breon Pease said: “Institutions trading cryptocurrencies are not above the law and their owners are beyond our reach. “As alleged, Bitzlato marketed itself to criminals as a no-questions-asked cryptocurrency exchange, resulting in deposits worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We are paying for the nefarious role we played in the currency ecosystem.”
Prosecutors said Bitzlato did not implement the necessary anti-money laundering measures and requested minimal identifying information from its users, making it ideal for drug trafficking and ransomware operators who want to cover their tracks. I claim.
Bitzlato was closely tied to Hydra, a dark web criminal marketplace widely used by Russian-speaking criminals, officials said. Hydra was seized last year and closed.
My guess is that Reg Kodimov regrets his decision to visit Miami.
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