The operator of the darknet crypto mixer pleads guilty to having laundered $ 300 million in BTC

Ohio man Larry Dean Harmon pleaded guilty to laundering greater than $ 300 million whereas working the darknet-based bitcoin mixing service Helix.

On August 19, the US Department of Justice introduced that the 38-year-old man pleaded guilty to having laundered over 350,000 bitcoins by Helix between 2014 and 2017.

Bitcoin mixers are used to assist individuals anonymize their bitcoins. In the previous, this has helped individuals cover their traces in the Bitcoin ledger as all transactions are recorded and immutable on the blockchain. As a end result, mixers grew to become a favourite of criminals.

Harmon admitted in courtroom that he knew customers have been mixing up drug trafficking and different unlawful actions. It additionally works intelligently with darknet markets to provide cash laundering companies to their customers.

In addition to Helix, Harmon operates the darknet search engine Grams, based a digital asset pockets supplier, DropBit, and is the CEO of Coin Ninja – a Bitcoin media web site – on which Harmon advertises mixers in your Bitcoins.

Harmon misplaced over 4,400 BTC (value over $ 200 million at present costs) on the name. The date of Harmon’s conviction has but to be set and the Ohio native faces 20 years in jail plus a advantageous.

Ohio residents please guilty of operating a darknet-based bitcoin mixer that grossed over $ 300 million https://t.co/eWFjY7jr6c

– Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) August 18, 2021

In earlier trials, Harmon has tried to argue that BTC just isn’t cash so he can’t be discovered guilty. His rationale is that whereas he truly combined bitcoins by his service, bitcoins should not cash, which suggests he can’t be charged with cash laundering. However, Presiding Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected this argument.

“The term ‘money’ […], usually means a medium of exchange, a method of payment, or a store of value. Bitcoins are that. Indeed, [Harmon] It has never been denied that Bitcoin is money, as the term is often used, and he admitted that Bitcoin is a form of currency, ”the judge ruled.

Officials have long had an eye on Helix and Harmon, and the Belize Justice Secretary, Belize National Police Service and the FBI have worked with the IRS Cybercrime Unit for at least five years to investigate Harmon and Helix. 2014 while the mixer was running. in a few years.

In February 2020, FinCEN arrested Harmon for operating his bitcoin mixer without registering it as a money services company. He was fined $ 60 million for the indictment.

Acting US Attorney Channing D. Phillips highlighted the role of darknet mixers in helping criminals hide their identities, stating:

“Darknet markets and the people who trade opioids and other illegal drugs through them are a growing scourge. Thanks to technologies like Helix, they can try to hide their identity and launder millions in sales. But the department and its law enforcement partners will shed light on their practices. “

Related: $ 366 million value of bitcoin mixer allegedly bankrupt after analyzing blockchain knowledge for 10 years

Other bitcoin mixing companies have come below assault in the previous few years amid a flurry of US regulatory measures. Last April, Bitcoin mixer operator Fog was arrested in Los Angeles for laundering round $ 336 million in BTC over a interval of 10 years.