Breon Peace, US attorney with the eastern district of New York, speaks during a news conference Wednesday. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The founder of Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered crypto exchange that has allegedly processed more than $700 million worth of illicit funds, was arrested in Miami Tuesday night, part of a: The Department of Justice during a press conference on Wednesday announced charges against Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian national. French authorities and the U.S. Treasury department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network are taking concurrent enforcement action.: U.S.
Darknet marketplaces facilitate the buying and selling of illegal drugs, stolen financial information, identification documents and mixing services.: Criminals thinking they could hide behind crypto — "this prosecution should put that illusion to rest," Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a press conference Wednesday.: Legkodymov, 40, who resides in Shenzen, People's Republic of China, is a senior executive and majority shareholder of Bitzlato.
The founder allegedly used Bitzlato's internal chat to write to a colleague that the platform's users were "known to be crooks," according to press statement by the DOJ. Legkodymov's arrest is related to now-shuttered darknet marketplace Hydra Market, Bitzlato's largest counterparty in crypto transactions, according to the DOJ.
I heard Kim Kardashian was involved.