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Bitzlato / Operation Cryptostorm

January 2023, Cryptocurrency laundering
Led by United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, Gendarmerie nationale

Extended pass entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026

What was taken down?

Digital infrastructure dismantled in France; assets seized.

See what happened

What happened to the people?

Officials reported 1 charged and 1 apprehended.
1 charged, 1 apprehended, and 1 convicted named in the public record.
Group accounted for: Likely complete

See people and accountability

Did it stay down?

Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry.

See what happened afterward

French authorities dismantled Bitzlato's digital infrastructure while US and European partners seized cryptocurrency and other assets; founder Anatoly Legkodymov was charged with operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and arrested in Miami.

Date
January 2023
Target
Bitzlato, cryptocurrency exchange
Activity
Cryptocurrency laundering
Operational lead
USAO-EDNY and French Gendarmerie
Partners
Europol[1]
Jurisdiction
Not established
Outcome
Digital infrastructure dismantled in France; assets seized.
Status
Completed
Legal mechanism
French judicial process; US federal criminal complaint.
Group accounted for
Likely complete

1
charged
1
apprehended
1
convicted

Named in the public record: 1 charged, 1 apprehended, and 1 convicted.

Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted.

Reported and named. Officials reported 1 charged and 1 apprehended. 1 charged, 1 apprehended, and 1 convicted named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record.
Person Role Current public status
Founder of Bitzlato ChargedArrestedPleaded guilty
Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York
Main charges
Conducting an unlicensed money-transmitting business
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Arrest location
Miami, FL, United States
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Core operator
Sources
[1]
Full record
Everything indexed for Anatoly Legkodymov

Anatoly Legkodymov

Founder of Bitzlato. Current public status: Charged, Arrested, and Pleaded guilty.

Charging authority
United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York
Main charges
Conducting an unlicensed money-transmitting business
Case number
Not established in the public record
Arresting authority
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Arrest location
Miami, FL, United States
Extradition status
Not established in the public record
Conviction or plea
Pleaded guilty
Sentence
Not established in the public record
Segment
Core operator
Sources
[1]
Full record
Everything indexed for Anatoly Legkodymov

Rows expand to show charging authority, case identifiers, custody status, and sources.

Group accounted for: Likely complete

Sole named founder charged and arrested; later pleaded guilty.

See the organizations and roles behind this action

Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry.

Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them.

Official sources

  1. [1]
    Bitzlato dismantled; founder Anatoly Legkodymov charged

    US DOJ / USAO EDNY / FBI, January 18, 2023, Source grade P1

    Establishes the French-led dismantlement of Bitzlato infrastructure and the charge/arrest of founder Anatoly Legkodymov.

    No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

Coverage note. Added from deep-research aggregation pass. Not independently re-verified source-by-source to the same standard as the original 38-incident core; source_quality capped at S2/P2 pending a dedicated verification pass.