https://itc.ua/en/news/us-indicted-three-russians-for-organizing-crypto-mixers/

Three citizens of Russia have been indicted by a US federal grand jury for laundering dirty money through so-called cryptocurrency mixers Blender.io and Sinbad.io.

“Blender.io and Sinbad.io were used by criminals around the world to launder funds obtained from ransomware, theft of virtual currency, and other crimes,” said federal prosecutor Ryan K. Buchanan. “This indictment demonstrates our determination to fight the infrastructure that allows cybercriminals to rob Americans and hide their illicitly obtained income.”

According to the indictment documents, the trio of Russians managed cryptocurrency mixers, which allowed them to conceal the real origin of the funds, including those obtained through ransomware and fraudulent operations.

Blender.io operated from 2018 to 2022, offering services that assured users of complete anonymity, including a “no-logs policy” and no registration requirement. Several months after its closure, Sinbad.io began operations, providing similar services. On November 27, 2023, Sinbad.io was shut down due to a law enforcement operation.

Both services were sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury. Blender.io was sanctioned on May 6, 2022, due to its use by North Korea for laundering virtual currency. Sanctions were also imposed on Sinbad.io on November 29, 2023.