US Authorities Seize $2.8M in Crypto from Ransomware Operator

The Justice Department unsealed six warrants targeting Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, an alleged ransomware operator who deployed Zeppelin malware globally. Federal prosecutors in Virginia, California, and Texas charged him with computer fraud, data theft, and money laundering conspiracy.

Authorities confiscated cryptocurrency assets worth $2.8 million alongside $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle. The operation highlights law enforcement's growing capability to trace illicit crypto flows, adding to the US government's $20 billion digital asset inventory seized from cybercriminals.

Court documents reveal Antropenko's group encrypted victims' files and threatened data leaks unless ransoms were paid. Investigators uncovered sophisticated laundering techniques involving cryptocurrency mixers designed to obscure transaction trails.