Bitzlato Co-Founder Seeks Trump Pardon Amid Extradition Threat
Anatoly Legkodymov, Russian co-founder of defunct crypto platform Bitzlato, has petitioned former U.S. President Donald Trump for a federal pardon. The move follows his December 2023 guilty plea for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, resulting in an 18-month detention at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
French authorities now seek Legkodymov's extradition on parallel charges, potentially exposing him to a 20-year sentence for allegedly facilitating cybercrime-linked transactions. Ivan Melnikov of Russia's International Committee for Human Rights claims Legkodymov is being unfairly targeted, stating "Anatoly is not a criminal; he became a target."