The US Department of Justice announced the receipt of six orders in the courts of the Eastern District of Virginia, the Central District of California and the Northern District of Texas, for the seizure of more than $ 2.8 million in cryptocurrency, 70,000 cash and a luxury car.

The Ministry of Justice said that all the cryptocurrency was confiscated from Cryptoadres, controlled by a certain Janis Aleksandrovich Aleksandrovich ANTropenko. The prosecutor’s office of the Northern District Texas accused him of conspiracy to make fraud using electronic communications and laundering money. According to the prosecution, Anthropenko used Zeppelin’s malicious program for attacks on American and international organizations. The suspect and his accomplices gained access to the confidential data of private individuals and enterprises, demanding a ransom for unlocking this information.

Law enforcement officers claim that confiscated assets are income received as a result of extortion. The illegally obtained assets were laundered in different ways, including through the chipmixer cryptocurrency service. In 2023, it was closed during a coordinated international operation. According to law enforcement officers, Antropenko laundered cryptocurrency, exchanged it for cash, which he then placed in bank deposits.

The investigation of the case is conducted by units of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in Dallas and Norfolka. The Department of Investigation of Crimes with Computer and Intellectual Property (CCIPS) reported that since 2020 he achieved more than 180 cybercriminals and received court decisions on the return of more than $ 350 million. CCPS also stopped the activities of several groups that distribute programs-carriers, thereby preventing the potential payment for hackers for more $ 200 million.

Earlier, the Ministry of Justice announced that it would double the composition of the National Group for Combating Cryptocurrency Crimes (NCET) due to an increase in the number of cases of illegal use of cryptocurrencies.