US authorities on Wednesday shut down the crypto company ChipMixer on charges of illegal transactions and money laundering worth $3 billion.
The US Justice Department alleged that ransomware groups linked to North Korean hackers and other dark net users accessed the platform using stolen information to steal $3 billion. It is also alleged that the Russian military intelligence used the site to trade Bitcoins for buying hacking tools.
Meanwhile, German police have seized $46 million in cryptocurrency and the servers used to run the site as part of its investigation into the fraud.
Investigators believe ChipMixer facilitated the laundering of Bitcoin, and helped criminals to evade detection, US Attorney Jacqueline C. Romer of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said in a statement.
Potential Signature Buyers Agree To Stay Away From Cryptos
The potential buyers of the Signature Bank have reportedly agreed to a caveat that they will not involve in the crypto business, days after US regulators shut down the bank over violation of various rules.
The New York-based bank’s weekend closure came two days after the collapse of two other major banks: Silvergate and Silicon Valley. All three now-defunct banks were considered “friendly” to crypto stakeholders.
Signature Bank, whose crypto clients accounted for a quarter of its deposits, was under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for money laundering.
