Crypto Crook Nabbed! 💰

by

Listen up, you lot! There’s a real stinker named Iurri Gugnin, a Russian chap, aged 38, who thought he was ever so clever. Living in New York, mind you, but up to no good, I tell you! This Gugnin, he’s accused of all sorts of beastly things – dodging rules, bamboozling banks, and generally being a right menace. Apparently, he’s made crypto look as trustworthy as a chocolate teapot. ☕

They say he was swishing around more than \$530 million for some rather dodgy clients, all connected to Russian banks that are naughtier than a squirrel in a nut factory. Federal prosecutors, those clever clogs, reckon that from June 2023 to January 2025, Gugnin was shoving crypto (mostly USDT, whatever that is) into American bank accounts and exchanges, then turning it into proper money for sneaky overseas transfers. 💸

And These funds, they say, came from Russia, including PJSC Sberbank, VTB Bank, and suppliers for Rosatom – all under the thumb of U.S. sanctions. The indictment, which is a fancy word for a list of naughty deeds, says Gugnin was a fibber, claiming his company, Evita, had no Russian clients. What a whopper! 🤥

He was fiddling with hundreds of millions for these companies, helping them get their grubby paws on important American technology and hiding where the money came from. And get this – he was still using accounts at Sberbank and Alfa-Bank, even while living in the U.S.! The cheek of it! 😠

Besides using stolen identities (a proper rotter, this one!), Gugnin is also charged with running a money-transmitting business without permission, dodging anti-money laundering rules, and not following the Bank Secrecy Act. Apparently, he was altering documents and trying to outsmart the authorities on the internet. As if that would work! 😂

“Gugnin’s cryptocurrency company was supposedly a front to wash hundreds of millions of dollars for sanctioned Russian entities and to get export-controlled technology for the Russian government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. He added, “Let this be a warning that using cryptocurrency to hide illegal conduct won’t stop the FBI and our partners from catching you!” So there! 👮‍♂️

He’s been nabbed in New York and could face up to 30 years in the slammer for each bank fraud count, plus extra time for the other crimes. This whole shebang shows that the United States is keeping a beady eye on crypto firms that are messing about with international transactions and regulations. But remember, just because he’s been indicted doesn’t mean he’s guilty. He’s innocent until proven otherwise. Though, between you and me, it doesn’t look good, does it? 🤫

Read More

2025-06-10 20:40