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The US government has announced sanctions on a cryptocurrency exchange and two Russian nationals.

What’s the deal: According to the Department of Treasury, Cryptex, a cryptocurrency exchange company based in St. Vincent but primarily in Russia, is accused of facilitating money laundering for Russia-based cybercriminals. The US government alleges that Crptex “provides financial services to cybercriminals” and has received over $51.2 million from ransomware attacks.

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Additional sanctions: In addition to Cryptex, the US government sanctioned and charged two Russian nationals, Timur Shakhmametov and Sergey Ivanov, for their roles in facilitating transnational cybercrime. Shakhmametov is accused of operating Joker’s Stash, an online marketplace for stolen credit card data, while Ivanov is charged with laundering the proceeds from Joker’s Stash since 2005.

What the US is saying: State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “Today’s actions underscore the United States’s commitment, along with our allies and partners, to not allow cybercrime facilitators to operate with impunity. We will continue to use all our tools and authorities to deter and expose these money laundering networks and impose costs on the cyber criminals and support networks. We reiterate our call that Russia must take concrete steps to prevent cyber criminals from freely operating in its jurisdiction.”

Brad Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said the US was committed to preventing cybercrime facilitators from “operating with impunity.” He added, “[We] will continue to use all tools and authorities to disrupt the networks that seek to leverage the virtual assets ecosystem to facilitate their illicit activities.”

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