Having handled over $700 million in illicit Russian dark-web income, Anatoly Legkodymov, the developer of the insolvent bitcoin exchange Bitzlato, has been spared further jail time. Judge Eric Vitaliano sentenced Legkodymov to time served in a New York District Court on July 18 after his guilty plea to operating an illegal money-transmitting business. Legkodymov had already served eighteen months in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC), regarded by the court more than enough for his crimes. Vitaliano said, “it’s a horrible place and the court does consider that.”

Legkodymov expressed grief and acknowledged he might have done more as Bitzlato’s producer during his court testimony. “I realize now as the entrepreneur of the company, I could have done more,” he said. On January 17, 2023, Legkodymov was arrested in Miami in conjunction with a coordinated global effort to halt commerce. The effort included the United States, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

Europol said that over 46% of the $1.09 billion worth of assets Bitzlato managed at the time were linked to criminal activities. “Most suspect transactions are linked to entities sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), with others linked to cyber scams, money laundering, ransomware, and child abuse material” Europol said. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried visited the MDC as well before to his fraud trial. On all seven fraud accusations, he was found guilty and sentenced 25 years in jail.

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