Russian trio charged in crypto mixer money laundering case

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted three Russian nationals for operating sanctioned crypto mixers allegedly used by North Korean criminals.

Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov were charge with money laundering in connection with crypto mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io, according to the DOJ.

Blender operated for four years, from 2018 to 2022, before US authorities shut down its site. Sinbad emerged as a replacement after Blender shut down, but federal investigators also targeted its platform.

Brent S. Wible, principal deputy assistant attorney general at the DOJ, said the defendants created “safe havens” for criminals wanting to launder illicit funds. The DOJ confirmed that Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested last month, while Tarasov remains at large and is wanted by U.S. prosecutors.

By allegedly exploiting these mixers, defendants made it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from offenses that endanger both public safety and national security.

DOJ indictment

The DOJ and U.S. Treasury have stepped up their scrutiny of cryptocurrency mixing services such as Blender and Sinbad, sparking criticism from blockchain advocates who say such actions infringe on privacy rights.

One of the most high-profile cases involved Tornado Cash, an Ethereum-based crypto cup that processed millions of dollars in transaction volume. The US Treasury sanctioned Tornado Cash in August 2022, leading to legal action against its developers in the US and the Netherlands.

In November 2024, a federal appeals court overturned Treasury sanctions against Tornado Cash, ruling that the sanctions were illegal. However, federal prosecutors continued to pursue charges against the blender’s founders, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov.