#U.S. Justice Department Accuses Russian National of Money Laundering#

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three Russian nationals with money laundering for allegedly operating sanctioned cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io. The three Russians are Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko and Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, who have been arrested, while the third, Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov, remains at large. Blender.io was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for its role in helping to conceal cryptocurrency proceeds from cybertheft conducted by North Korean hackers. The Justice Department said the mixing services provided a haven for money laundering, including proceeds from ransomware and telecommunications fraud, and made it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from crimes that harm public safety and national security. The Treasury Department's sanctions on the cryptocurrency mixer, following North Korean allegations, and the FBI, Dutch and Finnish police seizure of the website cryptocurrency mixing service, have sparked debate among U.S. policymakers and lawmakers about whether cryptocurrency mixers should be banned. While the Treasury Department's sanctions on Tornado Cash were overturned by a federal appeals court, the government is still pursuing criminal charges against Tornado Cash's founders. Blender.io operated from 2018 until 2022, when it was shut down by authorities, and was quickly replaced by Sinbad.io, which was also similarly sanctioned by the Treasury Department.