US charges operators of Blender and Sinbad cryptomixers

US charges operators of Blender and Sinbad cryptomixers

US authorities have charged Roman Ostapenko, Alexander Oleynik, and Anton Tarasov for their involvement in running cryptocurrency mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io allegedly used by criminals to launder funds tied to theft, ransomware, and other cybercrimes.

Blender.io, which was in operation from approximately 2018 until 2022, allowed users to obfuscate their cryptocurrency transactions in exchange for a fee. Advertised as having a "No Logs Policy," the service promised anonymity by deleting any transaction records, allowing users to send cryptocurrency to a designated recipient while masking its source. Blender.io didn’t require any personal information, ensuring that the identity of the sender could not be traced.

Sinbad.io is a successor of Blender.io that was shut down in 2022. In late 2023, Sinbad.io was also taken down through coordinated law enforcement operation, just months after its inception.

Both services have been flagged by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for their involvement in money laundering activities. In May 2022, OFAC sanctioned Blender.io after linking it to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which reportedly used the platform to launder stolen virtual currency.

Furthermore, Blender.io was found to have been utilized by several ransomware groups to conceal illicit payments. Sinbad.io was similarly sanctioned by OFAC in November 2023 for its association with DPRK-sponsored hacking groups and its role in laundering proceeds from various cybercrimes.

Roman Ostapenko, 55, of Russia, faces one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Alexander Oleynik, 44, also from Russia, and Anton Tarasov, 32, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested on December 1, 2024, following a year-long investigation and the seizure of Sinbad.io’s online infrastructure. Currently, Tarasov remains at large.


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