Founder of Chinese Cryptocurrency Exchange BitZlato Detained in Miami

The US Department of Justice announced an international cryptocurrency enforcement action on Wednesday and in the wake of the announcement, they revealed that the DOJ has detained Anatoly Legkodymov, the founder of BitZlato, a Chinese cryptocurrency exchange that provides services to financial offenders.

Along with representatives from the FBI, OFAC, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the DOJ announced the information on Wednesday. The US sanctions framework is managed by OFAC, and FinCEN keeps an eye out for questionable behavior among financial institutions.

“To anyone who still believes that they can hide from the law by using cryptocurrency, this prosecution should put that illusion to rest.”

Russian citizen Anatoly Legkodymov, 40, of Shenzhen, China, was detained overnight in Miami and was scheduled to appear in court there the following day, according to the Department of Justice. The agency’s FinCEN division said in a statement that it has issued an order barring certain fund transmittals involving Bitzlato by any covered financial institution.

According to reports, the U.S. Justice Department said that BitZlato traded more than $700 million in cryptocurrencies with Hydra Market, the largest darknet market in the world before it was shut down in April 2022. According to the Justice Department, Bitzlato also got more than $15 million in ransomware earnings. This ends the platform’s ongoing support of recognised Russian-related criminal behavior.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at noon, and Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general of the United States, along with Brian Turner, the associate deputy director of the FBI, Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Kenneth Polite, the assistant attorney general of the criminal division of the Department of Justice, and Wally Adeyemo, the deputy secretary of the Treasury, presided over a press conference.