DOJ Charges Two Russians For Attempt To Launder 647000 BTC Stolen From Mt Gox
The Justice Department unsealed charges related to the 2011 hack of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and the operation of cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e.
- According to court documents, Alexey Bilyuchenko, 43, and Aleksandr Verner, 29, both Russian nationals, are charged with conspiring to launder approximately 647,000 BTC from their hack of Mt. Gox.
- Bilyuchenko is also charged with conspiring with Alexander Vinnik to operate BTC-e from 2011 to 2017.
“This announcement marks an important milestone in two major cryptocurrency investigations. As alleged in the indictments, starting in 2011, Bilyuchenko and Verner stole a massive amount of cryptocurrency from Mt. Gox, contributing to the exchange’s ultimate insolvency. Armed with the ill-gotten gains from Mt. Gox, Bilyuchenko allegedly went on to help set up the notorious BTC-e virtual currency exchange, which laundered funds for cyber criminals worldwide,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
- “For years, Bilyuchenko and his co-conspirators allegedly operated a digital currency exchange that enabled criminals around the world – including computer hackers, ransomware actors, narcotics rings, and corrupt public officials – to launder billions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.
- "According to court documents unsealed in the Northern District of California (NDCA), Bilyuchenko allegedly worked with Vinnik and others to operate the BTC-e exchange from 2011 until it was shut down by law enforcement in July 2017. During that time period, BTC-e was one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges," states the press release.
- "A criminal indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
