US Justice Department Reports on Garantex Domain Seizure

The US Department of Justice confirmed the seizure of Garantex domains and the freezing of $26 million in the cryptocurrency exchange’s wallets.

According to the press release, the trading platform facilitated money laundering by transnational criminal organizations, including terrorist groups, and violated international sanctions. Since 2019, the exchange’s digital asset turnover has amounted to at least $96 billion.

The Justice Department conducted the operation in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in Germany and Finland.

In connection with the case, US authorities have charged Lithuanian citizen Alexey Beschekov and Russian Alexander Mira Serda (formerly Alexander Ntifo-Siao), residing in the UAE. Both face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, carrying a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Additionally, Beschekov is accused of sanctions violations and operating an unlicensed money transfer business, which collectively could result in up to 25 years of imprisonment.

“According to court documents, from 2019 to 2025, Beschekov and Mira Serda controlled and managed Garantex. Beschekov was the primary technical administrator of the exchange, responsible for acquiring and maintaining its critical infrastructure, as well as verifying and approving transactions. Mira Serda was a co-founder and chief commercial officer of Garantex,” stated Justice Department representatives.

Authorities believe the accused were aware of the laundering of illicit proceeds through their platform and took steps to conceal this fact. After restrictions were imposed on Garantex in 2022, the exchange’s leaders continued their criminal activities.

The US Justice Department also reported the confiscation of the domains Garantex.org, Garantex.io, and Garantex.academy, as they are linked to the platform’s administration. Law enforcement in Germany and Finland seized the servers hosting the exchange’s operations.

“Authorities individually obtained earlier copies of Garantex servers, including client and accounting databases. Additionally, US law enforcement froze over $26 million in funds used to facilitate money laundering activities,” the document states.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the US Secret Service and the FBI.

At the end of the press release, Treasury representatives thanked Tether and Elliptic for their “active assistance in the investigation.”

In February 2025, the EU included Garantex in its 16th sanctions package against Russia for aiding in the circumvention of restrictions.