On Friday, the US Department of Justice announced charges against Russian citizens Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov, accusing them of operating services that helped criminals launder cryptocurrencies.
The three were allegedly involved in operating Bender.io and Sinbad.io, two cryptocurrency mixers “that served as safe havens for the laundering of criminal proceeds, including proceeds from ransomware and wire fraud,” said Mr. deputy assistant attorney general Brent Wible, the chief. of the Criminal Division of the Ministry of Justice, states a press release.
Blender.io and Sinbad.io were seized in an international law enforcement operation in 2023 and are suspected of being used by North Korean hackers, who have become adept at stealing and laundering millions of dollars in crypto, as well as by ransomware gangs, the who profit from extorting financial ransoms from hacked companies..
Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested on December 1, 2024, while Tarasov is still at large. according to the DOJ press release.
The three “made it easier for government hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from crimes that endangered both public safety and national security,” according to Wible.
Ostapenko is charged with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmission business, while Oleynik, 44, and Tarasov are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmission business — all charges that could lead to a sentence of 30 years in prison.
