Gugnin Yury

Biography

2025: U.S. arrest on $0.5 billion laundering charges

US prosecutors have indicted Russian citizen Yuri Gugnin, the founder of the cryptocurrency company Evita, who lives in New York. American law enforcement agencies accuse him of helping to launder about $530 million from abroad and helping to acquire classified American technology. On 9 June 2025, the 38-year-old businessman appeared in court and was remanded in custody.

According to the US Department of Justice, prosecutors in Brooklyn accused the founder of the American company Evita of organizing a complex money laundering scheme. The scheme made it possible to transfer $530 million to Russian banks and other organizations under sanctions. Gugnin resided in Manhattan until his arrest.

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Фото: Freepik

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg alleges Gugnin turned the cryptocurrency company into a covert money laundering conduit. The official said that the accused facilitated the transfer through the US financial system of more than $0.5 billion to help Russian banks that fell under sanctions.

Eisenberg added that the Russian businessman helped Russian end users acquire confidential American technologies. The activities were carried out through cryptocurrency platforms created by Gugnin.

According to investigators, Gugnin used his companies Evita Investments and Evita Pay to process payments worth about $530 million. At the same time, he hid the origin and purpose of funds transferred from American financial institutions.

According to the prosecution, from June 2023 to January 2025, a Russian entrepreneur transferred money through US banks and cryptocurrency exchanges. Mainly for operations, Tether was used - a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. Prosecutors believe Gugnin distorted information about the scale of his business and forged documentation. He provided banks and crypto platforms with false information about his ties with Russia and hid the source of funds through fake accounts.^[1]

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