The U.S. Division of Justice charged Ruslan Tkachuk, 37, and Alexander Ledenev, 25, for allegedly operating a cryptocurrency cash laundering operation known as AudiA6 that processed over $389 million in bitcoin.
Each males have been arrested in Batumi, Georgia, and face conspiracy to launder financial devices and sting cash laundering costs.
Worldwide takedown
The arrests got here alongside a coordinated worldwide operation involving the Secret Service, IRS Legal Investigation, Europol, Eurojust, and legislation enforcement from ten nations together with Germany, the UK, Japan, and France.
Three properties have been searched, servers and domains have been seized throughout the U.S., Iceland, Germany, and France, Telegram accounts have been blocked, and cryptocurrency belongings have been frozen.
The clear net and darkish internet sites for each AudiA6 and the Dark2Web cybercrime discussion board have been changed with legislation enforcement seizure banners.
How the scheme labored
Based on the legal criticism, AudiA6 marketed on the Dark2Web discussion board, explicitly providing to hide the supply of shoppers’ cryptocurrency traceable to legal exercise for a charge of as much as 5 p.c.
Blockchain evaluation revealed that roughly 10,333 BTC was deposited into AudiA6 wallets because the service launched in 2021.
Of that complete, roughly 393 BTC—valued at round $19.2 million on the time—got here straight from recognized darknet markets, ransomware teams, and different illicit sources, with extra funds arriving not directly.
Extradition and penalties
Tkachuk, a Ukrainian nationwide, and Ledenev, a Russian nationwide, are at present held by Georgian authorities.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Japanese District of Pennsylvania is searching for their extradition.
U.S. Lawyer David Metcalf introduced the fees, noting every defendant faces as much as 20 years in jail if convicted.