The U.S. Division of Justice finalized the seizure of greater than $400 million in cryptocurrencies and different property linked to Helix, a Bitcoin mixing service that operated between 2014 and 2017.
An order issued on January 21 by the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Columbia transferred authorized title of the property to the U.S. authorities, formally closing the case.
The seized property embody cryptocurrencies, actual property, and monetary accounts related to Helix’s operations. The service was operated by Larry Dean Harmon and processed at the least 354,468 BTC throughout its exercise, equal to roughly $300 million at market costs on the time.
The DOJ linked a good portion of these funds to darknet markets concerned in drug trafficking and different illicit actions. Helix offered an API that allowed these marketplaces to combine the mixer straight into their withdrawal techniques, enabling large-scale cash laundering. Harmon additionally operated Grams, a search engine used to entry darknet platforms.
Harmon was arrested in February 2020 and pleaded responsible in August 2021 to conspiracy to commit cash laundering. In November 2024, he was sentenced to a few years in jail and ordered to forfeit greater than $400 million, with the forfeiture formally accomplished this week following the ultimate court docket order.
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