#U.S. Justice Department Accuses Russian National of Money Laundering#

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three Russian nationals with money laundering for allegedly operating sanctioned cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io. The two services were previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for assisting in concealing cryptocurrency proceeds from cybertheft conducted by North Korean hackers. The Justice Department said the services provided a money laundering haven for ransomware and telecommunications fraud proceeds, making it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from crimes that harm public safety and national security. Two of the defendants were arrested last month, while the third remains at large. Authorities in multiple countries have seized and dismantled the computer equipment behind the services. The case is the latest action by the U.S. government to crack down on cryptocurrency mixing services, following the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions against Tornado Cash, which were overturned by a federal appeals court, which ruled that the technology underlying such services could not be targeted for sanctions. Despite this, the U.S. government is still pursuing criminal charges against the founders of Tornado Cash.