U.S. Justice Department Seizes $2,870,000+ in Crypto, Cash and a Luxury Car From Man Allegedly Running Ransomware Scheme

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seizing millions of dollars worth of crypto, cash, and a luxury car from a man who was alleged to be running a global ransomware scheme.

In a new press release, the DOJ says it has seized over $2.8 million worth of digital assets, $70,000 in cash, and a luxury vehicle from Russian national Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko after he was charged with fraud and money laundering.

Authorities say that Antropenko would use Zeppelin ransomware to target specific individuals and businesses worldwide and in the US, encrypting and stealing their data and blackmailing them to return, delete, or refrain from publishing it.

Antropenko would then launder his illicit funds using crypto mixing services, such as ChipMixer, which is now defunct, and by exchanging crypto assets directly for cash and depositing the cash in structured deposits, according to the press release.

According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Zeppelin ransomware has been active since 2019 and has been widely used to exploit businesses.

“From 2019 through at least June 2022, actors have used this malware to target a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure organizations, including defense contractors, educational institutions, manufacturers, technology companies, and especially organizations in the healthcare and medical industries.

Zeppelin actors have been known to request ransom payments in Bitcoin, with initial amounts ranging from several thousand dollars to over a million dollars.”

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