In Kostroma, detained three bitcoin cashing in

The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Kostroma region and the UFSB of Russia in the Kostroma region conducted a special operation and detained three members of a criminal group who were engaged in cashing bitcoins “by using one of the international payment systems and a bitcoin exchange site”. They are charged with committing a crime, under Part 2 of Art. 172 of the Criminal Code ("Illegal banking"). The guys organized an online exchanger and changed bitcoins for cash. Fifteen years ago, they jailed for exchanging WebMoney, now history repeats itself with bitcoins.



The video shows how special forces men in masks and bullet-proof vests put the guys face down on the floor at the crime scene — working at the computers in the office. The operation was conducted by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and specialists of the regional FSB of Russia. Perhaps this is the first criminal case in Russia for Bitcoin operations.



“To organize a virtual exchange service, the attackers issued more than 300 banking and SIM cards to their relatives and acquaintances, through which they later exchanged and transferred cryptocurrencies,” the official said on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “According to the investigation, the persons involved through accounts and accounts on the Internet, registered on nominees, illegally cashed more than 500 million rubles.”





Full version of live video (5 min 49 sec)



The investigation did a lot of work to collect evidence on the bitcoin suspects in the exchange. 400 witnesses were established and interrogated, about 30 examinations were conducted. During the search, additional evidence has already been obtained, which have already been submitted to the court: these are computer storage media that allegedly contain data on the unlawful activities of the intruders.



Additional evidence found on the board in the office is a schedule of duties and a schedule for the criminal gang.











Part 2 of Article 172 is punished by forced labor for up to five years or imprisonment for up to seven years with a fine of up to one million rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to five years or without it.