The founder of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, who is facing a money laundering case in the US, seeks support from community members. Anatoly Legkodymov was arrested in January for his role in the trading platform that allegedly processed millions of dollars in illicit funds.
Bitzlato Founder Seeks Bail Guarantors in US
Anatoly Legkodymov, one of the founders and majority owner of Russia-linked cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, has taken to the crypto community, hoping to find US citizens who agree to become guarantors for his release on bail.
The Hong Kong-registered trading platform was disrupted in mid-January by law enforcement in Europe, where French investigators seized its servers and hot wallet, while several of its employees and executives were detained in other countries.
Legkodymov, a Russian citizen residing in China, was arrested in Miami for money laundering charges. The US Department of Justice claims that its exchange transferred at least $700 million in criminal proceeds from ransomware actors, dark web markets, and crypto pyramids.
This week, Legkodymov issued his call for help via cryptographic means. US law allows defendants to be released before a decision is made in their case, as long as they find guarantors for their bail, their lawyers explained, quoted by Russian crypto news outlet Bits.media. A group of Russian associates urged those who wish to help him to reach out on Telegram, stating:
The crypto community knows Anatoly as a decent and law-abiding person and wants to help him get out of prison on bail until the end of the trial.
A user named “Anatoly Legkodymov” has been active on the Bitcointalk.org forum since 2011, the report noted, as well as on the Bits.media forum since 2016, when the crypto entrepreneur and his partners started their trading business under the name Changebot which more than later became Bitzlato.
Legkodymov appeared in federal court in New York for the first time in mid-March, when he was ordered held without bail. The Russian denies charges of money laundering from the United States.
Another Bitzlato co-founder, Anton Shkurenko, was briefly detained, questioned and released by Russian police in February. In a Youtube interview, he revealed that Bitzlato intends to move to Russia and relaunch operations from there. Earlier this week, the exchange reportedly restored partial access to users. BTC balances
Do you think the US authorities will release Bitzlato founder Anatoly Legkodymov on bail? Share your thoughts on the case in the comments section below.
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