A federal grand jury within the Northern District of Georgia indicted three Russian nationals for his or her alleged roles in working crypto mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io — instruments used to launder funds tied to cybercrime, together with ransomware and digital forex thefts.
The indictment, printed on Jan. 10, costs Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov with conspiracy to commit cash laundering and working unlicensed money-transmitting companies.
Ostapenko and Oleynik have been arrested on Dec. 1, 2024. Tarasov stays at massive.
Authorities allege that Blender.io and Sinbad.io facilitated illicit transactions by masking the origins of crypto obtained by way of felony actions. In line with the indictment, each platforms have been closely utilized by state-sponsored hacking teams and different cyber criminals.
In line with the assertion:
“By allegedly working these mixers, the defendants made it simpler for cybercriminals to revenue from offenses that threaten public security and nationwide safety.”
Blender.io, operational from 2018 to 2022, promoted a “No Logs Coverage” and boasted that it required no private info from customers.
Sinbad.io, which launched after Blender.io ceased operations, adopted comparable practices. The FBI and its worldwide companions dismantled Sinbad.io in November 2023.
Each platforms have been finally sanctioned by the US Division of Treasury’s Workplace of Overseas Belongings Management (OFAC) for laundering funds for state-sponsored hacking teams, together with North Korea’s.
If convicted, the defendants withstand 20 years in jail for cash laundering conspiracy and a further 5 years for every depend of working an unlicensed money-transmitting enterprise.
This case highlights the facility of worldwide cooperation, with contributions from legislation enforcement businesses within the Netherlands, Finland, and Australia. The FBI is main the investigation with help from the Justice Division’s Nationwide Cryptocurrency Enforcement Crew.
An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed harmless till confirmed responsible in a court docket of legislation.
