The ongoing saga surrounding the infamous Mt. Gox cryptocurrency exchange hack took a significant turn on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that it has charged two Russian nationals, Alexey Bilyuchenko and Aleksandr Verner, with involvement in the notorious 2011 breach.
Mt. Gox, once the world’s most prominent Bitcoin exchange, was allegedly infiltrated by Bilyuchenko and Verner who are accused of orchestrating unauthorized transfers of approximately 647,000 bitcoins from the platform. Bilyuchenko faces additional charges related to his purported association with another illicit cryptocurrency exchange, BTC-e, which ceased operations following an intervention by U.S. law enforcement in 2017.
The case against the duo is built on substantial evidence which points to their active engagement in operating a digital currency exchange that allegedly facilitated the laundering of billions of dollars. It is suggested that this exchange has been used by a multitude of criminals across the globe, from computer hackers and ransomware actors to narcotics rings and corrupt public officials. The charges were announced by Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California.
Adding further substance to these allegations, one of the indictments from the Southern District of New York claims that the accused illegally gained access to a server housing Mt. Gox’s crypto wallets. This allowed them to execute unauthorized digital asset transfers to Bitcoin addresses under their control. The discovery of this massive breach led to the ultimate downfall of Mt. Gox, which ceased its operations in 2014.
Bryan Vorndran, the assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, emphasized the importance of holding cybercriminals accountable for fraudulent activities such as hacking and illicitly operating cryptocurrency exchanges. He added, “When cybercriminals engage in fraudulent activity, such as hacking and illicitly operating cryptocurrency exchanges, it is critical that we impose cost on the bad actors and ensure they face justice.”
In a separate indictment brought by the Northern District of California, Bilyuchenko is accused of working alongside co-conspirators to operate the BTC-e exchange. Prior to its shutdown, BTC-e was amongst the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges and was considered a major conduit for cybercriminals to transfer, launder, and store proceeds from their illegal activities.
Jim Lee, chief of the IRS Criminal Investigation unit, opined that the lure of cryptocurrencies has opened up new avenues for criminals to steal and launder money. However, he pointed out that greed and deceit are not new phenomena.
This development comes in the wake of the DOJ’s recent successful operation against a darknet cryptocurrency mixer, a platform that allegedly facilitated the laundering of over $3 million in digital assets. During this operation, the agency seized two domains linked to the service, further emphasizing their commitment to combating the misuse of cryptocurrencies.