Bitzlato

History

2023

A deal with the investigation is expected from the owner of the company Legkodymov in the United States

The owner of the Bitzlato crypto exchange, Russian Anatoly Legkodymov, who was arrested in the United States in January 2023, may plead guilty and conclude a deal with the investigation, writes Baza in April 2023. According to the FBI, funds received from scams, hacks, ransomware viruses passed through Bitzlato. In total, according to the special services, $715 million of "dirty" crypto coins passed through the exchange.

The resumption of the work of the crack exchanger in Russia

In early March 2023, the Bitzlato crypto exchanger resumed work in Russia, most of the creators of which were arrested in the United States for laundering money from "Russian hackers" and bypassing sanctions through crypt. From March 1, customers can withdraw previously frozen funds, and from April 1, the P2P platform should start working again, where users will be able to change rubles from Russian cards to crypt and vice versa.

Anton Shkurenko detained in Moscow at the request of Interpol

At the request of Interpol in February 2023, Anton Shkurenko, one of the founders of the Bitzlato cryptocurrency exchange, was detained in Moscow. He was wanted at the request of French investigators, who suspect him of extortion, "theft of data, as well as legalization (laundering) of funds."

The arrest in Spain of three top managers from Russia and Ukraine

In February 2023, the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Spanish Gendarmerie (Guardia Civil Guard) arrested in Spain three of the six members of the governing council of Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange platform that Europol and major international law enforcement agencies consider one of the main tools used by world-scale organized crime for money laundering.

The Civil Guard detained in Barcelona and Valencia three citizens of Russia and Ukraine who are related to this crypto site. Those arrested include:

• 45-year-old Mikhail Lunov, a citizen of Ukraine who served as general director;
• Pavel Lerner, 26, the company's commercial director; and
• 25-year-old Alexander Goncharenko, responsible for marketing.

The operation, conducted in five countries, blocked more than 100 accounts worth €50 million.

The operation, called Operation Bizlato, began two weeks earlier in France, when the gendarmerie there hacked into the entire technological infrastructure of the company. According to sources close to the investigation, this blow to Bitzlato provoked company leaders to try to secretly access the company's servers, allegedly to extract incriminating information stored on computers. This maneuver led to the fact that the rest of the operation, which involved law enforcement agencies in Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and the United States, had to be carried out at an accelerated pace.

According to Europol, 46% of cash transactions on the platform qualify as illegal activities, including child abuse, circumvention of sanctions, cyber fraud, cyber fraud. According to the investigation, the amount is estimated at about 1 billion euros.

Bitzlato co-founder Anton Shkurenko said that the service will someday restore work and pay funds to users

Bitzlato co-founder Anton Shkurenko said on January 31, 2023 that the service would someday restore work and pay funds to users. Earlier, half the company was arrested by the US and EU authorities.

Seizure of €18 million by Europol

On January 23, 2023, Europol announced the elimination of the Bitzlato crypto platform infrastructure. She is suspected of illegal activities and laundering of criminal funds.

The operation was initiated by law enforcement and France. USA It also involved,,,, and Belgium Cyprus. Portugal Spain Netherlands It is said that cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, registered in Hong Kong and operating around the world, contributed to the laundering of large amounts of criminal proceeds and their conversion into rubles. In a statement, Europol notes that about 46% of assets carried out through the platform, which is approximately €1 billion, are associated with illegal activities. In general, Bitzlato received more than €2.1 billion in various cryptocurrencies, including Dash and: Bitcoin Dogecoin a significant part of these funds, according to investigators, was converted into rubles.

Europol seized €18 million of cryptocurrency from the Bitzlato crypto platform, the management of which is attributed to the Russians

In total, during a large-scale operation, searches were carried out at eight objects related to Bitzlato. Five people were arrested, including, as expected, the management of the exchange: one suspect was detained in Cyprus and the United States, as well as three in Spain. Seized about €18 million in cryptocurrency, vehicles and electronic equipment. In addition, more than 100 accounts at other crypto exchanges have been frozen - for a total amount of approximately €50 million.

The investigation found that most of Bitzlato's suspicious transactions involve entities sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Other operations involve cyber fraud, money laundering, the proliferation of ransomware and other illegal activity. For example, many transactions in bitcoins are carried out directly between users of Bitzlato and the largest Russian darknet market Hydramarket, which closed in April 2022.^[1]

Arrest of co-owner Anatoly Legkodymov in the case of the use of the crypto exchange by criminals

On January 18, 2023, it became known about the detention in Miami of 40-year-old Russian Anatoly Legkodymov. He, according to the US Department of Justice, is the main owner and top manager of the Bitzlato cryptocurrency exchange. According to the FBI, funds received from scams, hacks, ransomware viruses, etc. passed through Bitzlato. In total, according to the special services, $715 million of "dirty" crypto coins passed through the exchange. Read more here.

2017: Anatoly Legkodymov and Anton Shkurenko establish a crypto exchange

The Bitzlato exchange was founded in 2017 by Anatoly Legkodymov and Anton Shkurenko. It grew out of the Telegram cryptocurrency exchange bot BTC banker, which appeared in 2016 and allowed transactions between individuals, acting as a guarantor.

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