The US Department of Justice has charged three Russian nationals with operating sanctioned cryptocurrency mixers allegedly used by North Korean criminals.

Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleinik, and Anton Vyatislavovich Tarasov. Charged In connection with money laundering in connection with cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io, according to the Department of Justice.

Blinder worked for four years, from 2018 to 2022, before the US authorities closed his site. Sinbad emerged as an alternative after Blender was shut down, but federal investigators have also targeted his platform.

The defendants created “safe havens” for criminals to launder illicit funds, said Brent S. Whipple, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice. The Justice Department confirmed that Ostapenko and Oleinik were arrested last month, while Tarasov remains at large and wanted by US prosecutors.

By operating these alleged mixers, the defendants made it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from crimes that endangered public safety and national security.

Department of Justice indictment

The Justice Department and the US Treasury Department have intensified their scrutiny of cryptocurrency mixing services such as Blender and Sinbad, drawing criticism from blockchain advocates who argue that such actions violate privacy rights.

One of the most famous cases involved Tornado Cash, an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency that handled millions of dollars in transaction volume. The US Treasury sanctioned Tornado Cash in August 2022, leading to legal action against its developers in the US and the Netherlands.

In November 2024, the Federal Court of Appeal I turned over The Treasury Department sanctions Tornado Cash, ruling that the sanctions are unlawful. However, federal prosecutors continued to pursue cases against Blender's founders, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov.