Alleged Crypto Ransomware Money Launderer Extradited to US

A 29-year-old Russian citizen has been extradited from the Netherlands to the US to face money laundering charges involving tens of millions of dollars in crypto-ransomware proceeds.

The US Department of Justice accuses Denis Dubnikov of laundering more than $400,000 in funds lifted from Ryuk ransomware attacks as part of a $70 million scheme, according to a statement by the Department of Justice on Wednesday.

Dubnikov and others involved in the scheme are alleged to have laundered funds from the attacks through various national and international transactions in a bid to conceal the funds’ provenance.

First appearing in 2018, Ryuk is designed to infiltrate private networks and gain administrative access to multiple systems. Once inside, Ryuk encrypts local files to lock up multiple computers before soliciting payment in crypto — usually bitcoin — to restore services.

Ryuk along with several other high-profile ransomware threats have been used to extract payment from government institutions, healthcare providers, hospitals and other businesses. 

In May of last year, Colonial Pipeline was forced to halt its services and pay more than $4 million in bitcoin following an attack that subsequently ignited fuel shortage fears across the US.

Weeks later, the world’s largest meat producer by total sales, JBS Holding, shelled out $11 million in bitcoin in an attempt to circumvent ransomware impacting its business and supply chains.

Efforts from North Korea’s Lazarus Group, Eastern Europe’s Darkside and others have been linked to various hacks across the industry, including a $625 million hack of the on Axie Infinity-tied Ronin Network bridge earlier this year.

Cryptocurrencies have repeatedly been blamed by law enforcement officials for facilitating anonymous transactions and assisting hackers in their attempts. However, the ability to transparently track transactions on-chain, has also helped law enforcement trace and reclaim stolen funds. 

Lazarus and others are said to have used crypto mixing service Tornado Cash in a bid to launder proceeds and conceal provenance. The Office of Foreign Asset Control banned its use for US citizens as well as 45 Ethereum addresses on Aug. 8.

Roughly three-fourths of funds passing through the privacy tool, however, are unconnected with criminal activity or sanctions evasion, and only 10.5% are stolen funds, according to on-chain analytics firm Chainalysis.

A five-day jury trial is expected to commence on Oct. 4 where Dubnikov faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for his alleged involvement.

Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening. Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter now.