Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian nationwide and former CEO of cryptocurrency trade Bitzlato, reportedly requested a federal pardon from US President Donald Trump after a 2023 responsible plea and serving 18 months in jail.
In keeping with a Friday report from the Russian state media outlet TASS, Legkodymov’s authorized workforce formally asked Trump for a presidential pardon after he pleaded responsible to working an unlicensed cash transmitting enterprise. Legkodymov was indicted in January 2023, pleaded responsible in December, and was sentenced to time served in July 2024 after being in custody for about 18 months.
“Anatoly […] turned a goal in a political marketing campaign towards the crypto market and proficient Russian programmers,” mentioned Ivan Melnikov, vp of the Russian department of the Worldwide Committee for Human Rights, based on TASS. “His determination to ask for a pardon relies on the hope that the US will return to a extra balanced and honest strategy to digital finance.”
In keeping with his indictment, Legkodymov was a part of an operation that facilitated the transmission of illicit funds by way of his function at Bitzlato. US authorities alleged that lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} flowed from Bitzlato to the darkish net Hydra Market, and the trade acquired about $15 million related to ransomware assaults.
Associated: Binance founder CZ Zhao asked Trump to pardon money laundering conviction
French authorities had been reportedly making an attempt to extradite Legkodymov to face comparable expenses after his time within the US. It’s unclear if Trump has acquired the pardon request or whether or not he’ll act on it.
Cointelegraph reached out to the White Home for remark however had not acquired a response on the time of publication.
Pardons for crypto business figures who pleaded responsible or had been convicted
Since taking workplace in January, Trump has issued at the least 58 presidential pardons. Amongst them had been Silk Street founder Ross Ulbricht, who had been facing two life sentences in federal jail, and 4 former executives of cryptocurrency trade BitMEX: Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer and Samuel Reed.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao mentioned in Could that he had utilized for a pardon from Trump. Zhao pleaded responsible to 1 felony cost in November 2023 as a part of a deal between US authorities and Binance. He served 4 months in jail.
Stories have prompt that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was additionally making an attempt to secure a federal pardon from Trump by talking on conservative information shops and distancing himself from the Democratic Get together. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2024 and was housed on the Federal Correctional Establishment in Terminal Island as of Friday.
Journal: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions