The founder of crypto exchange Bitzlato, which is facing a money laundering case in the U.S., is seeking help from community members.Anatoly Legkodymov was arrested in January for his role in a trading platform that processed millions of dollars worth of illicit funds, was arrested in January for his role in a trading platform that allegedly handled millions of dollars worth of illicit funds.
Bitzlato founder seeks bail bondsman in U.S.
Anatoly Legkodymov, one of the founders and majority owner of the Russian-linked cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, is turning to the crypto community and hoping to find U.S. citizens willing to become bail bondsmen.
The Hong Kong-registered trading platform was suspended by European law enforcement in mid-January, when French investigators seized its servers and hot wallets and detained several employees and executives in other countries.
Legkodymov, a Russian national living in China, was arrested in Miami on money launderingcharges. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that his exchange transferred at least $700 million in criminal proceeds from ransomware actors, darknet markets, and crypto pyramids.
This week, Legkodymov issued a call for help through crypto media. Under U.S. law, if the defendant can find a bail bondsman, he can be released before the case is adjudicated, his lawyer explained, quoting from Russian crypto news outlet Bits.media. Fellow Russians urged those who want to help him to contact him via telegram, saying:
The crypto community knows that Anatoly is a decent and law-abiding person and wants to help him get out on bail until his trial is over.
A user named “Anatoly Legkodymov” has been active on the Bitcointalk.org forum since 2011, and a crypto entrepreneur and his partner have been in the trading business under the name Changebot, which later became Bitzlato He has also been active on the Bits.media forum since 2016, when he started, the report noted.
Legkodimov first appeared in federal court in New York in mid-March and was ordered held without bail. The Russian denies U.S. money laundering charges.
Bitzlato co-founder Anton Shkurenko was temporarily detained and questioned by Russian police in February before being released. He revealed in a Youtube interview that Bitzlato intends to relocate to Russia and resume operations there. Earlier this week, the exchange reportedly restored users’ partial access to theirBTCbalances.
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