Texan authorities grab $ 2.8 million in crypto from the alleged ransomware operator

The Texas authorities have charged an alleged ransomware operator and seized more than $ 2.8 million in cryptocurrency of his digital portfolios.

The seizure was part of six federal warrants that were not closed on Wednesday for courts in Virginia, California and Texas. Authorities also have $ 70,000 seized cash and a luxury vehicle.

The controller of the wallet, Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, is confronted with accusations of conspiracy for computer fraud and abuse, computer fraud and abuse and conspiracy to conduct money laundering.

Prosecutors say that Antropenko Zeppelin transomware has used to attack individuals, companies and organizations worldwide, coding and stealing their data before they demand the payment to decode, withhold or remove it.

Cyber crime and crypto

The case emphasizes the increasing focus of law enforcement on dismantling ransomware operations and the cling of illegal profits, which have also seen raids to grab domains and infrastructure related to cyber crime group Royal and sellers of Lummac2.

Cyber crime losses in the US found $ 16.6 billion in 2024, according to the internet crime crime combiner of the FBI. The FBI reported that nearly 150,000 complaints in 2024 included digital assets, with $ 9.3 billion in related losses, a jump of 66% compared to the previous year.

Public Prosecutors claim that the funds of the newest seizure were the proceeds of ransomware activity washed by services such as chip mixer, a crypto mixing platform was concluded in an international operation of 2023 and by structured cash deposits.

The Computer Crime and Intellectual Property section) of the Ministry of Justice said that it had protected more than 180 cyber crime professions and had recovered $ 350 million for victims so far.

Officials say that their work has disrupted Ransomware groups and have prevented more than $ 200 million in potential ransom payments.