A Russian national suspected of laundering ransomware payments in cryptocurrency
A Russian national suspected of laundering ransomware payments in cryptocurrency on behalf of cybercriminals targeting hospitals has been extradited to the U.S. by the Netherlands. The person was allegedly involved within the criminal activity for a amount of 3 years before his arrest in the national capital last Nov.
Alleged Russian Money Launderer Handed Over to U.S. Custody by Dutch Authorities
Denis Dubnikov, a 29-year-old Russian subject, has been extradited in the week from Netherlands to the U.S., wherever he’s to face charges of cash lavation within the District of American state, the U.S. Attorney’s workplace in Portland and therefore the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) declared.
Dubnikov created his initial look in court on weekday and a five-day jury trial has been regular to start on October. 4. In August, a federal jury in Portland charged him for his role in a world crypto hiding conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the Russian and his accomplices have wittingly and advisedly laundered the yield of ransomware attacks on people and organizations, throughout the us and in alternative countries, between a minimum of August 2018 and August 2021.
The perpetrators specifically laundered ransom payments extracted from victims of Ryuk ransomware attacks. 1st known four years agone, Ryuk could be a variety of code that encrypts files and makes an attempt to delete system backups, that has been coupled to a Russian ransomware cluster. Hospitals and aid suppliers within the U.S. became its victims within the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In July 2019, Dubnikov allegedly laundered quite $400,000 in Ryuk ransom yield, the Justice Department aforesaid in an exceedingly statement. Those concerned within the conspiracy laundered a minimum of $70 million in total. If convicted, the Russian could get a maximum sentence of 29 in jail.
Denis Dubnikov was detained in national capital on November. 1, 2021. chatting with Russian media at the time, his attorney Arkady Bukh alleged that he was “practically kidnapped” by U.S. enforcement in United Mexican States before being transferred to Europe.
The co-founder of the coin mercantilism platforms Coyote Crypto and Eggchange was 1st control at the aerodrome in national capital, wherever he arrived on vacation, and so placed on a flight to Holland wherever he was inactive by Dutch authorities.
Dubnikov’s surrender follows the same development within the case of Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of the ill-famed cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e. Vinnik was appreciated within the summer of 2017 within the Greek town of Salonica wherever he arrived on a summer vacation together with his family. He was inactive on a warrant from the U.S. that accuses him of lavation a minimum of $4 billion through the now-defunct crypto mercantilism platform.
The Russian IT specialist was 1st bimanual over to the French judiciary that sentenced him to 5 years in jail for hiding. when he served his term in France, Vinnik was came to Greece and extradited to the U.S. The hasty transfer furious his lawyers who suppose he can become a “hostage” of the present political tensions encompassing the war in land. Meanwhile, Moscow suspect Washington of conducting a “real explore for Russian voters.”