A U.S. federal grand jury has charged three Russian citizens for running an unlicensed crypto-mixing business. These bad actors include Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov. A recent report revealed that these defendants allegedly operated Blender.io and Sinbad.io platforms to launder millions of dollars. Cybercriminals and government-backed hackers utilized their platforms. Crypto Mixers: Privacy Tools Turned Crime Hubs Crypto mixers work by scrambling digital asset transactions to make them nearly impossible to trace. While they can offer privacy for regular users, they are often exploited by hackers and criminals to cover their tracks. Blender.io, one of the mixers, operated from 2018 to 2022, erasing transaction records to hide user activity. When Blender shut down, Sinbad.io emerged as a nearly identical service, believed to be operated by the same people. Sinbad continued until law enforcement took it offline on November 27, 2023. Blender.io and Sinbad.io Linked to Major Cybercrimes The accused mixers played a role in some of the biggest cybercrimes in recent history. The U.S. Treasury Department found that North Korean hackers used Blender.io to launder $20.5 million from the $600 million Axie Infinity hack in 2022. Sinbad.io allegedly helped other hackers and cybercriminals move money gained from ransomware and fraud. This action puts global security at risk. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), these platforms were designed as “safe havens” for illegal cash. Using mixers, criminals avoided detection and enjoyed profits while undermining public safety. The Charges and Consequences Ostapenko, Oleynik, and Tarasov now face serious legal consequences. Ostapenko is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of running an unlicensed money business. Oleynik and Tarasov face similar charges, with one count each for conspiracy and running unlicensed operations. If found guilty, they could serve up to 20 years in prison for the money laundering charges. They could each face five years in prison for running an unlicensed money business. Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested on December 1, 2024, but Tarasov is still on the run. Blender.io and Sinbad.io are not the only crypto mixers that have been shut down for illegal activities. Tornado Cash was sanctioned in 2022 for laundering $455 million for North Korea’s Lazarus Group. This incident sparked debates about crypto privacy and regulation. Last year, Roman Sterlingov, founder of Bitcoin Fog, one of the darknet’s oldest crypto mixers, was sentenced to 12.5 years in federal prison. ChipMixer was taken down in 2023, with authorities seizing $46 million and accusing it of supporting drug trafficking and hacking schemes. This sentencing is part of the U.S. government’s intensified efforts to tackle bad actors and money launderers that are exploiting crypto to conceal illicit funds. The post U.S. Authorities Crackdown on Russian Crypto Mixers, Here’s Why appeared first on TheCoinrise.com .
