Indian nationwide Anurag Pramod Murarka has been sentenced to 121 months in jail within the U.S. for working a worldwide cash laundering operation that funneled over $20 million in prison proceeds.
U.S. District Choose Gregory Van Tatenhove delivered the sentence final Wednesday after Murarka was convicted of facilitating the laundering of prison proceeds by means of a classy operation involving crypto and a hawala system.
Working beneath aliases like “elonmuskwhm” and “la2nyc,” Murarka marketed cash laundering companies on darknet marketplaces from April 2021 to September 2023, based on a press release launched Friday by the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Japanese District of Kentucky.
Utilizing encrypted communications, Murarka coordinated with purchasers, directing them to ship crypto to particular wallets.
The funds had been then transformed into money by means of a hawala community originating in India.
Murarka’s U.S.-based staff would bundle the money and ship it to purchasers by means of unconventional strategies, together with hiding it in books and envelopes, as per the assertion.
The investigation, led by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), revealed how Murarka knowingly labored with purchasers concerned in unlawful actions corresponding to drug trafficking and laptop hacking.
After his arrest, authorities seized thousands and thousands in unlawful funds and took management of his on-line accounts, utilizing them to forestall $1.4 million in monetary fraud and confiscating counterfeit medication and tools.
“This case highlights the worldwide scope of cybercrime, in addition to the demand for diligence and collaboration in preventing cash laundering – a devastating second layer of prison conduct,” stated Carlton S. Shier, IV, U.S. Legal professional for the Japanese District of Kentucky.
Beneath federal legislation, Murarka should serve not less than 85% of his sentence and can face three years of supervised probation upon launch.
Crypto scams dominated funding fraud losses in 2023
In 2023, funding fraud within the U.S. skyrocketed to $4.57 billion, with crypto schemes accounting for 87% of the entire, as per the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) findings.
Losses tied to crypto fraud reached $3.96 billion, marking an 18-fold improve since 2018.
Millennials and Gen X emerged as essentially the most focused demographics, with common losses per particular person climbing to $115,499.
Authorities warned that the decentralized nature of crypto makes it a major goal for scams and suggested the general public to train warning and conduct thorough analysis earlier than investing.
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