US Govt seeks forfeiture of over $6M seized from FTX account of ransomware attacker
JAN 27, 2022 | REPUBLISHED BY LIT: JAN 28, 2022
United States Attorney Chad E. Meacham has filed a complaint against $6,123,652.21 seized from the FTX Trading Limited account in the name of “Evegnii Igorevich Polianin” beginning with “0x67e” (“the Defendant Property”).
The money is now located and in the custody and management of the United States Marshals Service.
The complaint, seen by FX News Group, was filed with the Texas Northern District Court on January 26, 2022.
The defendant property was seized on October 1, 2021, and received by the FBI on October 4, 2021.
The Attorney explains that the defendant property is subject to civil forfeiture because it constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to computer fraud and wire fraud.
The offenses involved concern a ransomware variant known as Sodinokibi/REvil. Between April 2019 and July 2021, ransomware attacks across the United States, and elsewhere, were committed, resulting in the receipt of over $200 million in ransom payments by Sodinokibi actors.
The defendant property is traceable to ransomware attacks committed by Polyanin. The defendant property is also involved in and traceable to the money laundering conspiracy involving Sodinokibi ransom payments.
The United States seeks a warrant for the arrest of the defendant property.