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KEY POINTS
- The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on one of the men
- A virtual currency exchange is also accused
The United States issued $10 million rewards each for two Russians accused of cybercrimes and slapped sanctions on one of the men and Cryptex, a virtual currency exchange firm based in the Caribbean but operating in Russia, according to the Treasury Department.
Sergey Ivanov has been a “reliable, long-term provider of laundering services for top tier cybercriminals since approximately 2005,” it said in a statement.
Cryptex, which is registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, provides financial services to an array of cyber criminals.
Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also named PM2BTC, a Russian crypto exchanger, as being a “primary money laundering concern” in the illicit financial scheme.
“The United States and our international partners remain resolute in our commitment to prevent cybercrime facilitators like PM2BTC and Cryptex from operating with impunity,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith on Thursday.
The State Department announced rewards of up to $10 million each for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who is accused of creating and operating the stolen credit card marketplace Joker’s Stash.
Ivanov laundered the proceeds of Shakhmametov’s enterprise, the Treasury said.
Separate rewards of $1 million each are being offered for information leading to the identification of other leaders of Joker’s Stash and PM2BTC.
