Authorities Dismantle 'AudiA6' Ransomware Crypto-Laundering Service
Authorities say the network laundered $389 million in cryptocurrency and used fake identities, while investigators froze assets and seized more than 30 servers.
- On Thursday, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged Igorevich Tkachuk, 37, of Ukraine, and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev, 25, of Russia, with operating a $389 million cryptocurrency laundering scheme after their arrest Wednesday in Batumi, Georgia.
- Known as "AudiA6," the platform laundered $389 million while managing "Dark2Web," a marketplace for illicit services, with at least $20 million flowing directly from dark web accounts associated with ransomware actors and stolen funds.
- Undercover agents confirmed the platform laundered "dirty" Bitcoin, charging commissions of 3% to 10%, yet investigators discovered transactions remained directly traceable through exchange records despite the group's promises of anonymity.
- Law enforcement seized more than 80 vehicles, approximately $790,000 in cryptocurrency, and over $98,000 in digital assets; Tkachuk and Ledenev each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
- A coordinated international operation involving Europol, the United States Secret Service, and authorities in France, Poland, and Iceland dismantled the infrastructure, with prosecutors now seeking extradition of Tkachuk and Ledenev to the United States.
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For three years, criminals washed through the "AudiA6" stolen cryptocurrencies service. An international raid in Georgia has now destroyed the network. Two suspects are in custody.
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Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market CapAuthorities dismantle 'AudiA6' ransomware crypto-laundering service
Law enforcement has dismantled the “AudiA6” cryptocurrency service allegedly used by ransomware actors and other cybercriminals to launder more than $380 million. [...]
Philly feds charge two with running a cryptocurrency money laundering scheme that tried to conceal nearly $400 million
A group that called itself "AudiA6" offered to take cryptocurrency from online criminals and "mix" it to try and hide the origins from authorities, prosecutors said.
Global Operation Dismantles Crypto Laundering Network Handling Hundreds Of Millions In Illicit Funds
Authorities across multiple jurisdictions dismantled a cryptocurrency laundering infrastructure accused of processing over €336 million in illicit digital assets and supporting ransomware-linked cash-out operations.
Security authorities intervened across countries in Georgia. Ukrainians and Russians are suspected of having washed more than 336 million euros via "AudiA6".
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