A grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned indictments against three Russian nationals involved in operating the cryptocurrency mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io.
Roman Ostapenko, Alexander Oleinik and Anton Tarasov are charged with conspiracy to launder money and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
Authorities allege both mixers were used by criminals worldwide to launder funds stolen from ransomware victims and other crimes.
Ostapenko and Oleinik were arrested on December 1, 2024; Tarasov is wanted.
Each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to launder money and up to five years for each instance of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
In May 2022 the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Blender.io.
In November 2023 Sinbad.io was added to the sanctions list. Both mixers gained popularity after Tornado Cash was blocked.