Alexander Klimenko appeared in court in San Francisco.
In the United States, charges have been brought against a citizen of Belarus and Cyprus named Alexander Klimenko for his participation in an international operation to launder money obtained through cybercrime.
According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Klimenko controlled the illegal digital currency exchange BTC-e, the technology services company Soft-FX and the financial company FX Open.
The prosecution alleges that through these firms, Klimenko facilitated transactions related to various types of cybercrime, including ransomware, identity theft, drug trafficking, fraud and hacking.
BTC-e, a cryptocurrency trading platform, was seized by US law enforcement agencies in 2017 after the arrest of its founder Alexander Vinnik in Greece. The US Department of Justice said that the platform was used to launder funds stolen as a result of the hacking of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox, as well as for payments as part of operations using the Locky, Cerber, NotPetya, WannaCry and Spora ransomware viruses.
The platform had a significant presence in the United States, but was not registered as a money service, did not require verification of the identity of customers, and did not have anti-money laundering mechanisms.
"BTC-e allegedly facilitated transactions by cybercriminals around the world and received illegal proceeds from numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt government officials, and drug distribution networks," the Justice Ministry said.
The now 42-year-old Klimenko managed BTC-e from 2011 to July 2017 before Vinnik's arrest and subsequent closure of the site. According to recent reports, Klimenko managed and maintained servers in the United States that support the operation of BTC-e through his company Soft-EX.
The man was arrested at the request of the United States in Latvia on December 21, 2023, and made his first court appearance in San Francisco on February 1. Officially, Klimenko is charged with conspiracy to launder money and conduct an illegal money business, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
In the United States, charges have been brought against a citizen of Belarus and Cyprus named Alexander Klimenko for his participation in an international operation to launder money obtained through cybercrime.
According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Klimenko controlled the illegal digital currency exchange BTC-e, the technology services company Soft-FX and the financial company FX Open.
The prosecution alleges that through these firms, Klimenko facilitated transactions related to various types of cybercrime, including ransomware, identity theft, drug trafficking, fraud and hacking.
BTC-e, a cryptocurrency trading platform, was seized by US law enforcement agencies in 2017 after the arrest of its founder Alexander Vinnik in Greece. The US Department of Justice said that the platform was used to launder funds stolen as a result of the hacking of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox, as well as for payments as part of operations using the Locky, Cerber, NotPetya, WannaCry and Spora ransomware viruses.
The platform had a significant presence in the United States, but was not registered as a money service, did not require verification of the identity of customers, and did not have anti-money laundering mechanisms.
"BTC-e allegedly facilitated transactions by cybercriminals around the world and received illegal proceeds from numerous computer intrusions and hacking incidents, ransomware scams, identity theft schemes, corrupt government officials, and drug distribution networks," the Justice Ministry said.
The now 42-year-old Klimenko managed BTC-e from 2011 to July 2017 before Vinnik's arrest and subsequent closure of the site. According to recent reports, Klimenko managed and maintained servers in the United States that support the operation of BTC-e through his company Soft-EX.
The man was arrested at the request of the United States in Latvia on December 21, 2023, and made his first court appearance in San Francisco on February 1. Officially, Klimenko is charged with conspiracy to launder money and conduct an illegal money business, for which he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
