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She Was a Russian Socialite and Influencer. Cops Say She’s a Crypto Laundering Kingpin
Western authorities say they’ve identified a network that found a new way to clean drug gangs’ dirty cash. WIRED gained exclusive access to the investigation.
On Wednesday, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA), along with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as well as authorities in Ireland and France, revealed that they have taken action against two massive Russian money-laundering networks that handle billions of dollars every year and have their tentacles in more than 30 locations. “There is growing evidence that Russia is embracing cryptocurrencies and other alternative payment systems in order to circumvent sanctions and transfer funds around the world,” says Ben Cowdock, a senior investigations lead at the UK branch of anticorruption organization Transparency International. A review of available material from data breaches provided by Constella Intelligence shows Zhdanova’s Gmail address, which was previously published by OFAC, is the last seven digits of her phone number, and is linked to a Telegram account called Smart Group.
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