An Ohio resident, Larry Harmon, acquired a three-year jail sentence for working Helix, a darknet mixer.
Over the course of his operation, Harmon oversaw $300 million in laundered property, with many of the funds coming from or going to darknet drug markets.
Helix Mixer Operator Larry Harmon Sentenced to three Years
Harmon pleaded responsible in 2021 to working a cryptocurrency mixing platform tied to unlawful actions. On November 15, US District Decide Beryl Howell granted him a lenient sentence, acknowledging his cooperation within the Bitcoin Fog investigation. This case additionally entangled each Harmon and a separate particular person concerned within the Bitfinex heist.
Each offered testimony concerning Bitcoin Fog, which the Bitfinex hacker used for years to launder stolen property. Sentencing for all three people occurred inside a span of 48 hours.
“The scale and the impact of the defendant’s money laundering operation was staggering,” stated Alden Pelker, a prosecutor on the Bitcoin Fog case. “He brought search engine optimization to local cocaine distributors,” she stated.
Harmon initially constructed the Helix mixer to enhance upon Bitcoin Fog’s options. He ultimately ceased Helix operations two years earlier than his arrest and testified in courtroom, lowering his sentence from a most of twenty years to only three. Authorities have ordered Harmon to forfeit $311 million in property, representing the worth of at the least 354,468 Bitcoin through the operation.
His brother, Gary Harmon, was additionally discovered to be complicit within the crimes. The Inside Income Service (IRS) seized 4,877 BTC from Larry Harmon as a part of an investigation. These digital tokens have been saved in wallets accessed by means of a tool held in an IRS proof locker.
Prosecutors accused Gary Harmon of utilizing Larry’s credentials to recreate eight of the Bitcoin wallets, permitting him to switch Bitcoin from the wallets and thereby bypassing the IRS’s custody. After the Bitcoin vanished from the IRS-secured gadget, investigators discovered proof implicating Gary.
A picture discovered on his cellphone confirmed him at a nightclub in a tub full of money. Gary reportedly used 68 Bitcoin as collateral for a $1.2 million mortgage. He additionally spent a few of the stolen funds to buy a luxurious condominium in Cleveland. Gary Harmon admitted guilt and was sentenced to 4 years in jail by Decide Howell.
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