According to a Department of Justice press statement, the United States has extradited a suspected bitcoin money launderer from the Netherlands.
Russian citizen Denis Mihaqloviv Dubnikov, 29, made his initial court appearance on Wednesday in federal court in Portland, Oregon. A five-day jury trial is set to start on October 4. Under the DOJ announcement, Dubnikov may get a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Ryuk, a ransomware programme that has been used to attack thousands of victims worldwide, was employed by Denis and his cohorts. The case is being handled by numerous agencies. Dubnikov’s extradition was handled by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, which coordinated its actions with the task force the department established to fight ransomware and digital extortion threats. The case is being looked into by the FBI’s Portland Field Office.
As stated in the DOJ update, the Ryuk actors, Dubnikov and his accomplices, and other participants in the scheme allegedly carried out a variety of financial transactions, including international financial transactions, after receiving ransom payments to hide the nature, source, location, ownership, and control of the ransom proceeds.
As per allegations, Dubnikov laundered more than $400,000 in Ryuk ransom money. The DOJ claims that those involved in the scheme laundered at least $70 million in ransom.