09.06.2025 21:44
Federal authorities have unveiled a comprehensive 22-count indictment against Iurii Gugnin, the Russian founder of the cryptocurrency payment firm Evita. This indictment alleges he laundered over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system, flagrantly violating sanctions, export control regulations, and anti-money laundering laws. Gugnin, who also employed the aliases Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, was apprehended in New York on Monday and subsequently arraigned, facing a multitude of serious charges.
These charges encompass wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business. The Department of Justice contends that Gugnin masterminded a sophisticated scheme, leveraging his U.S.-based companies – Evita Investments Inc. and Evita Pay Inc. – to assist foreign clients, including those linked to sanctioned Russian banks, in circumventing U.S. restrictions. The prosecution asserts that Gugnin's operation funneled funds using Tether (USDT) and other cryptocurrencies, seamlessly converting them into U.S. dollars and routing them through Manhattan bank accounts, while meticulously concealing the true origins and intended beneficiaries.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A. Eisenberg, strongly condemned Gugnin's actions, stating that the defendant transformed a cryptocurrency company into a clandestine conduit for illicit funds. Eisenberg highlighted the staggering sum of over half a billion dollars transferred to support sanctioned Russian banks and acquire sensitive American technology. The indictment further alleges that Gugnin deliberately misled both U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, falsely portraying Evita as having no connections to sanctioned entities. However, evidence reveals his personal accounts with sanctioned institutions like Alfa-Bank and Sberbank, and the processing of payments for entities such as Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency.
This intricate scheme, according to authorities, facilitated the acquisition of sensitive U.S. export-controlled electronics, including servers manufactured by American technology companies. Furthermore, Gugnin allegedly manipulated invoices, removing Russian names and addresses to obscure the true parties involved in the transactions. Ironically, while claiming adherence to anti-money laundering procedures, Gugnin neglected to file the mandatory Suspicious Activity Reports, further exacerbating the severity of his alleged offenses. The case underscores the growing concern over the potential misuse of cryptocurrencies in illicit financial activities and the determined efforts of law enforcement to combat such schemes.
