Anatoly Legkodymov, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for operating an unlicensed money transmission business and laundering more than $700 million in illegal gambling and drug trading proceeds. Legkodymov has served his full sentence and will not be required to serve any more time in the future, given that he has been in custody since his arrest in January 2023.
In December, Legkodymov pleaded guilty, admitting that he knew for years that Bitzlato was being used as a conduit for dark web transactions, including the notorious drug market Hydra Market, which was shut down by authorities in 2022. (Bloomberg)