Kunal Kalra (Kunal Kalra)

At the end of August, 2019 Kunal Kalra, the 25-year-old man from Westwood, Los Angeles, pled guilty of washing of $25 million through cryptocurrency. This first federal criminal case in the USA against business on washing of means with the help bitcoin exchanger.

Kunal Kalra also famous as Kumar, "шеклемейн" and "monster", is accused that he laundered money for individuals, including drug dealers, via the ATM with bitcoins. From May, 2015 to October, 2017 Kalra did unlicensed business on exchange of cryptocurrencies and cash. He was recognized that he exchanged dollars for bitcoins and back, without requiring from clients to undergo compulsory procedure of identification. Kalra took the exchange commission in the cryptomat and worked only with those clients who needed to exchange not less than $5 thousand. At the same time Kalra not only knew that many of his clients received money from sale of drugs through the Darknet, but also itself traded in methamphetamine.

Kunal Kalra pled guilty of money muling through bitcoins

In 2017 Kalra met the agent under cover who asked it to exchange $400 thousand cash for bitcoins. In June of the same year he sold for $6 thousand to other agent about a kilogram of methamphetamine. At the next meeting the agent, showing profit on the "sold" drugs, washed $50 thousand via Kalra's ATM. Within investigation law enforcement agencies withdrew from Kalra about $889 thousand and cryptocurrency for the amount more than $500 thousand. Considering the amounts which he laundered, and resale of drugs, Kalra is threatened by a long prison term, and life imprisonment can become the maximum punishment.

At the same time the court of the USA considered case of the citizen of Australia living in the State of Colorado and laundering money using bitcoins. He exchanged cash for cryptocurrency, knowing that the income of his clients was a part of drug trafficking, and received year of imprisonment.^[1]

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