DOJ Dismantles AudiA6 Crypto Laundering Service Tied to $389 Million

AudiA6, a cryptocurrency laundering service tied to over $389 million in Bitcoin transactions, has been charged by the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The two senior members of the organization, Ruslan Tkachuk and Alexander Ledenev, were arrested in Batumi, Georgia.

The DOJ alleges that AudiA6 charged fees of up to 5% for laundering cryptocurrency. Blockchain analysis showed that the service received approximately $389.7 million worth of Bitcoin since 2021. The majority of these funds came from customers who layered coins before using the service, suggesting a sophisticated money laundering operation.

The takedown followed parallel investigations by the Secret Service's Cyber Investigative Section, IRS Criminal Investigation, Europol, and Eurojust. Authorities targeted servers and domains in several countries, blocked Telegram accounts, froze crypto assets, and seized digital devices.