Two Charged in Connection With Cryptocurrency Money Laundering Service

Two Charged in Connection With Cryptocurrency Money Laundering Service

🚨 Breaking News: Ruslan Igorevich Tkachuk, 37, and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev, 25, both residing in Batumi, Republic of Georgia, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and money laundering. They are alleged to have operated “AudiA6,” a cryptocurrency money laundering service responsible for laundering over $389 million in cryptocurrency. 💰

A coordinated international takedown of AudiA6 was executed alongside these arrests, involving investigations by the United States Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Europol, Eurojust, and other international law enforcement partners from countries including Australia, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 🌍

Key Actions Taken:

• Three properties were searched.
• Servers and domains linked to the criminal infrastructure were targeted in the United States, Iceland, Germany, and France.
• Telegram accounts used by the network were blocked.
• Cryptocurrency assets were frozen and digital devices were seized.
• The websites of AudiA6 and the Dark2Web cybercrime forum were replaced with a law enforcement seizure banner.

The criminal complaint alleges that Tkachuk and Ledenev are senior members of the AudiA6 organization, managing the cryptocurrency money laundering service and the Dark2Web forum. They reportedly offered to conceal and disguise the source of customers’ cryptocurrency for a fee of up to 5% of the amount being laundered.

Through blockchain analysis, law enforcement determined that approximately 10,333 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at around $389,747,417 at the time of the transactions, was deposited into AudiA6 wallets since its launch in 2021. Of this, about 393.39 BTC (valued at around $19,234,331) came directly from known darknet markets and other illicit sources.

If convicted, both defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. This case is being investigated by the Secret Service’s Cyber Investigative Section and offices in Frankfurt and Oklahoma City.

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