US prosecutors have charged cryptocurrency entrepreneur Iurii Gugnin with laundering approximately $530 million and aiding sanctioned Russian entities in evading export controls, using the crypto payment platform Evita Pay. This case highlights the use of stablecoins and cryptocurrency networks to bypass sanctions. Separately, the Department of Justice and the FBI have taken action against other crypto-related frauds, including a $37 million scheme targeting Americans, and a federal court ordered individuals and companies in Michigan, California, and Nevada to pay over $25 million for digital asset fraud. Additionally, Gotbit Consulting and its founder Aleksei Andriunin, linked to Russia and Portugal, were sentenced for market manipulation and fraud conspiracy. Meanwhile, Reuters and other agencies report a growing trend of Russia recruiting untrained teenagers and novices for espionage and sabotage operations across Europe, using social media, threats, and cryptocurrency payments. A notable case involves a Canadian teenager arrested in Poland, revealing the sometimes haphazard nature of Moscow's hybrid warfare tactics following the expulsion of Russian operatives from Europe after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of teenagers in Ukraine and Europe have been detained in Russia-linked sabotage and spying cases, often compensated with cryptocurrency. In a separate incident, a fake billionaire was charged with stealing $2 million from an Oregon woman in a fraudulent scheme.
DOJ charges NY resident Iurii Gugnin for allegedly laundering $530 million from Russia into the US via crypto payment platform Evita Pay—highlighting how sanctioned entities use stablecoins and #crypto rails to bypass controls. 🔗 https://t.co/AUoeJ6vxfS https://t.co/PVc51Cynd9
As a result of an #FBI Boston investigation, Gotbit Consulting, a financial services firm known in the crypto industry as a “market maker,” & its founder Aleksei Andriunin, of Russia & Portugal, were sentenced for market manipulation & fraud conspiracy. https://t.co/CNpz0BD4aE https://t.co/jIFg1Z3nt6
Russia has resorted to using untrained spies after its diplomats and operatives were expelled from Europe in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.