The U.S. Department of Justice has announced charges against two Russian nationals for allegedly operating extensive money laundering services that supported a global network of cybercriminals.
This coordinated effort involved multiple U.S. government agencies and international partners, highlighting the ongoing battle against cybercrime and its financial underpinnings.
The US Department of State also revealed the Information on their X Platform.
Unveiling the Cybercrime Network
The indictment, unsealed in the Eastern District of Virginia, charges Sergey Ivanov, known online as “Taleon,” with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering.
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Ivanov has been accused of facilitating illegal transactions for cybercriminals for nearly two decades.
His services allegedly catered to various cybercrime marketplaces, including those involved in ransomware and darknet drug trafficking.
Ivanov operated several Russian payment and exchange services—UAPS, PinPays, and PM2BTC—that directly provided money transfer and laundering services to criminals.
A detailed cryptocurrency blockchain analysis revealed that these services conducted approximately $1.15 billion transactions.
Notably, 32% of this amount originated from addresses associated with criminal activity, including fraud proceeds and ransomware payments.
Timur Shakhmametov, another Russian national known online as “JokerStash” or “Vega,” faces similar charges for operating Joker’s Stash, a notorious carding website.
Joker’s Stash allegedly sold data from millions of stolen payment cards, generating profits estimated between $280 million and $1 billion.
International Collaboration and Seizures
This operation underscores the importance of international collaboration in combating cybercrime.
The U.S. Secret Service executed a seizure order against domains used by Cryptex.net, a cryptocurrency money laundering exchange offering anonymity to its users.
Cryptex facilitated transactions worth approximately $1.4 billion, with a significant portion linked to criminal activities.
In a coordinated effort with Dutch authorities, servers hosting PM2BTC and Cryptex were seized and taken offline.
The Netherlands Police and other European agencies played crucial roles in these actions, confiscating over $7 million in cryptocurrency from these servers.
The U.S. Department of State has also issued reward offers up to $11 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Ivanov, Shakhmametov, and others involved in these operations.
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