Authorities in Texas have taken control of more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, along with $70,000 in cash and a luxury car, in a case linked to ransomware attacks.
According to an August 14 press release, the seizures came after six federal warrants were made public in courts in Virginia, California, and Texas.
The cryptocurrency was taken from a wallet said to be controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko. He is facing charges in Texas for conspiring to commit computer fraud, committing computer fraud, and conspiring to launder money.
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Prosecutors said Antropenko used a program called Zeppelin ransomware to target people, companies, and organizations in several countries, including the United States.
According to the charges, he and others would lock victims’ files and take their data. They would demand payment to restore access, keep the stolen information private, or delete it.
Court documents stated that the seized cryptocurrency came from ransomware payments or was used to hide the source of those payments.
One method was ChipMixer, a service used to make cryptocurrency transactions harder to trace. ChipMixer was shut down in 2023 during an international law enforcement operation.
Prosecutors also said Antropenko converted cryptocurrency into cash and made deposits in smaller amounts to avoid detection.
The case also led to the seizure of physical cash and a luxury vehicle, which investigators say were part of the proceeds from the ransomware scheme.
Recently, Tomas Jirikovsky, creator of Sheep Marketplace, was detained in the Czech Republic over a Bitcoin
