Darknet BTC Mixer Operator Pleads Guilty in $300M laundering scheme

38-year aged Larry Dean Harmon has besides agreed to forfeit 4,400 BTC arsenic portion of the plea bargain

A antheral successful the US authorities of Ohio has pleaded blameworthy to charges related to operations of a darknet Bitcoin mixing work that allegedly laundered implicit $300 cardinal successful BTC betwixt 2014 and 2017.

According to the US Justice Department, 38-year aged Larry Dean Harmon has admitted to being the relation of Helix, a darknet "tumbler" work that helped customers launder much than 350,000 bitcoins. Harmon past pocketed a interest from the transactions that the Justice Department said were proceeds of amerciable activities.

According to a press statement from the US Attorney (District of Columbia) Office, Harmon knowingly helped criminals premix BTC acquired from cause trafficking. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) besides revealed that Harmon's Helix tract was progressive successful laundering wealth for individuality thieves and neo-Nazi groups.

The fishy admitted to moving intimately with different Darknet providers successful advancing the wealth laundering strategy of their clients, including sites specified arsenic AlphaBay and Cloud 9. Harmon was besides linked to the darknet hunt motor Grams, which helium utilized to advertise his services to imaginable customers.

In his plea, the Ohio nonmigratory agreed to forfeit implicit 4,400 bitcoins, which astatine existent prices has a marketplace worth of astir $200 million.

Harmon was arrested successful February 2020 aft a multi-agency probe into the activities of Helix. Law enforcement officials drawn from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), FinCEN and the FBI collaborated connected the operation. 

In October 2020, the US Treasury Department penalised Harmon for his Helix relation and operations that went against the Bank Secrecy Act, fining him $60 million.  

Harmon is present awaiting sentencing successful a lawsuit that could spot him bash situation clip of up to 20 years arsenic good different penalties.