Signage is seen at the US Division of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., August 29, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged the founding father of a U.S.-based cryptocurrency funds agency with working what they allege was a complicated worldwide cash laundering scheme that moved over half a billion {dollars} on behalf of sanctioned Russian banks and different entities.
Iurii Gugnin, a 38-year-old Russian nationwide dwelling in Manhattan, was arrested and arraigned Monday and ordered held with out bail pending trial.
Gugnin faces a 22-count indictment accusing him of wire and financial institution fraud, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls, cash laundering, and failing to implement legally required anti-money laundering protocols.
“The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency firm right into a covert pipeline for soiled cash, shifting over half a billion {dollars} by way of the U.S. monetary system to assist sanctioned Russian banks and assist Russian end-users purchase delicate U.S. expertise,” Assistant Legal professional Basic Eisenberg mentioned in a press release.
Prosecutors mentioned Gugnin used his firms — Evita Investments and Evita Pay — to course of about $530 million in funds whereas concealing the origins and functions of the funds. Between June 2023 and January 2025, he allegedly funneled the cash by way of U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, primarily utilizing tether, a broadly used, dollar-pegged stablecoin.
Shoppers included people and companies linked to sanctioned Russian establishments akin to Sberbank, VTB Financial institution, Sovcombank, Tinkoff, and the state-owned nuclear power agency Rosatom.
To hold out the scheme, Gugnin allegedly misrepresented the scope of his enterprise, falsified compliance documentation, and lied to banks and digital asset platforms about his ties to Russia. Prosecutors say he masked the supply of funds by way of shell accounts and doctored greater than 80 invoices, digitally erasing the identities of Russian counterparties.
Investigators additionally cite web searches indicating he knew he was underneath scrutiny, together with queries like “how you can know if there may be an investigation in opposition to you” and “cash laundering penalties US.”
The Justice Division mentioned Gugnin maintained direct ties to members of Russia’s intelligence service and officers in Iran — nations that don’t extradite to the U.S.
He’s additionally accused of serving to the export of delicate U.S. expertise to Russian shoppers, together with an anti-terrorism-controlled server.
Gugnin was profiled final fall in a Wall Avenue Journal article about high-net-worth renters in Manhattan, the place he reportedly paid $19,000 per thirty days for an condominium.
If convicted on financial institution fraud prices, he faces a statutory most sentence of 30 years in jail, but when convicted on all counts, Gugnin might be given a consecutive most sentence considerably longer than his lifetime.
