The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged three Russian nationals for allegedly operating cryptocurrency mixing platforms Blender.io and Sinbad.io, which were used to launder proceeds from cybercrime activities.
Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko and Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik were apprehended on December 1, 2024, with the help of the Netherlands’ Financial Intelligence and Investigative Service, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The location of their arrests remains undisclosed, while a third suspect, Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov, is still at large.
According to the indictment, the suspects ran crypto tumblers designed to help cybercriminals obscure the origins of illicit funds, enabling ransomware operators, fraudsters, and state-backed hacking groups to profit from illegal operations. Users could pay to send cryptocurrency anonymously, hiding the transaction trail and its criminal origin.
Crypto Mixers Linked to Global Cybercrime
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan described the two platforms as “tools for laundering proceeds from ransomware, cryptocurrency thefts, and various cybercrimes worldwide.”
Blender.io, launched in 2018, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in May 2022 after being linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, which used the service to launder stolen funds, including those from the $620 million Ronin Bridge hack. Advertised as a service with a “No Logs Policy” that erased transaction traces, Blender didn’t require user registration or identification.
Although Blender ceased operations shortly before its sanctioning, blockchain analysis by Elliptic in 2023 revealed it likely resurfaced under the name Sinbad.io in October 2022. Law enforcement later shut down Sinbad’s infrastructure and sanctioned it for processing millions in stolen cryptocurrency, including funds linked to the Lazarus Group.
Ostapenko, 55, faces charges for conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Meanwhile, Oleynik, 44, and Tarasov, 32, face similar charges. If convicted, the trio could receive up to 25 years in prison.
Broader Crackdown on Crypto Scams
The indictment coincides with a Chainalysis announcement about two law enforcement operations, Spincaster and DeCloak, targeting crypto scams in collaboration with Canadian authorities. These efforts uncovered over 1,100 victims and estimated losses exceeding $25 million.
Victims were tricked into setting up self-custodial wallets, purchasing cryptocurrency from centralized exchanges, and transferring the funds to scammers’ wallets. Chainalysis highlighted that scammers often lure victims by making small payments to their wallets before convincing them to deposit larger amounts.
This case underscores the growing international efforts to combat crypto-related cybercrime and disrupt illicit financial networks.
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