coinspress.com
Aleksei Andriunin, founder of the crypto firm Gotbit, has been extradited from Portugal to the U.S. to face charges of wire fraud and market manipulation.
Arrested in October 2024, he was transferred to U.S. custody in February 2025. The case is part of a broader global effort to tackle financial crimes in the cryptocurrency space.
Prosecutors accuse Gotbit of using “wash trading” to artificially inflate cryptocurrency trading volumes and secure listings on major platforms. Andriunin allegedly transferred millions of dollars from the scheme into his Binance account. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
READ MORE: Four Arrested in South Korea Over Suspicious Crypto-Related Murder
Andriunin’s extradition follows the FBI’s “Operation Token Mirrors,” a crackdown on crypto market manipulation. Authorities are focusing on schemes that mislead investors by inflating trading volumes, with Gotbit’s activities impacting cryptocurrencies like Saitama and Robo Inu.
The investigation is part of a larger push to combat fraud in the cryptocurrency industry, with international collaboration between the U.S., Portugal, and Interpol. Andriunin has yet to plead, and Gotbit’s other leaders remain at large.