Federal authorities in Michigan, working with international law enforcement, have taken down a cryptocurrency exchange called E-Note.
The service is accused of helping cybercriminals move illegal money across countries. Prosecutors also revealed an indictment against a Russian man they say was behind the operation.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced that the FBI, state police, and foreign agencies worked together to seize E-Note’s servers and online systems.
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Officials said the platform was used by cyber groups responsible for attacks on American hospitals and other critical services.
Prosecutors named Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets as the alleged operator of the exchange. He faces one charge of conspiracy to launder money, which carries a possible prison term of up to 20 years. Although the case was filed in September, it was made public on December 17.
According to the indictment, Chudnovets worked with criminals to move funds from illegal online activity and convert digital currency into traditional currency.
Court documents claim that Chudnovets started helping criminals hide their money as early as 2010. He later expanded his operation through E-Note by creating a business that enabled users to move and convert stolen cryptocurrency.
Law enforcement agencies have seized the servers, mobile apps, and related websites, “e-note.com”, “e-note.ws”, and “jabb.mn”. Investigators also secured older copies of the servers that hold customer and transaction data.
The US Department of Justice recently took control of a website connected to an online fraud ring operating out of Burma. How did the case unfold? Read the full story.
