Four Russian nationals face serious charges for money laundering and running unlicensed money transmission businesses. They are linked to cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io.

This news comes after Blender.io was relaunched as Sinbad.io in late November 2023. Shortly after, U.S. authorities took action against the new platform.

The indictment, filed on January 10, names Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov. They allegedly operated these crypto mixers and facilitated the laundering of funds from illegal activities.

Several high-profile transactions have drawn attention to their case. In early November 2021, about 0.385 Bitcoin (worth around $24,000 at that time) linked to ransomware proceeds was transferred through Blender.io. Then, in early June 2023, 5.409 Bitcoin, valued at $147,136, moved through Sinbad.io. These funds were connected to wire fraud and illegal access device fraud.

Eric Rosen, a partner at Dynamis, a Boston law firm, commented on the indictment. He stated it offers little evidence of the defendants' guilt regarding money laundering. Instead, he argues it’s more about “guilt by association.” The mixers processed “tainted money,” leading to assumptions of guilt.

Rosen pointed out that the Department of Justice hasn’t provided concrete allegations linking the defendants to the underlying crimes. This raises questions about jurisdiction and whether they should even be tried in the U.S.

Niko Demchuk, Head of Legal at AMLBot, a crypto compliance firm, noted that these charges follow a precedent. The founders of Tornado Cash were charged with money laundering, setting a path for similar cases against other mixer operators in the U.S.

These developments occur as 2024 is seen as a pivotal year in the fight for digital privacy in cryptocurrency. Privacy is at the heart of the crypto movement. Cypherpunk Timothy May’s manifesto predicted a future where people could communicate and transact completely anonymously.

May believed technology would allow individuals to interact without revealing their true identities. However, he also acknowledged the risks of anonymity, including potential criminal activities. He felt that the spread of crypto anarchy would continue, leading to significant social and economic changes.

While the early vision of cryptocurrency has evolved, many now see know-your-customer and anti-money laundering regulations as necessary, even if they are contentious. Some critics argue that government actions against crypto mixers may be excessive. For instance, U.S. sanctions on Tornado Cash were later deemed illegal since the decentralized platform had no central authority.

After the sanctions were lifted, developer Roman Storm moved to dismiss the charges against him.

In recent Bitcoin news, the cryptocurrency experienced significant price swings. It traded above $100,000 for the first time in 2025 before the Federal Reserve's announcement about interest rates impacted market sentiment.

Additionally, the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in December, raising inflation concerns that affected Bitcoin’s price. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers added 256,000 jobs, while economists had predicted only 160,000.

In another noteworthy case, James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, lost his long-running legal battle to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin, valued at over $750 million. The Newport City Council has consistently denied access to the landfill where the hard drive was accidentally discarded in 2013, citing environmental concerns. Recently, Judge Keyser KC dismissed Howells’ case, stating it had “no realistic prospect” of success at trial.