Russian cryptocurrency firm founder avoids further US prison time for fraud

BOSTON, June 12 (Reuters) - A Russian-born founder of a cryptocurrency financial services firm avoided having to spend any further time in a U.S. prison on Thursday for participating in a wide-ranging scheme to manipulate the market for digital tokens on behalf of his company's clients.
Federal prosecutors in Boston had argued that Aleksei Andriunin, the founder and CEO of cryptocurrency "market maker" Gotbit, deserved a 15-month prison sentence after he pleaded guilty in March to charges that he conspired to commit market manipulation and engaged in wire fraud.
Instead, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley sentenced him to just eight months in prison, which he was deemed to have already served based on the time he spent in jail following his arrest in October in Portugal, prosecutors said. Portugal extradited him in February.
He now faces deportation. His company Gotbit was meanwhile ordered to forfeit $23 million worth of cryptocurrency as part of a separate plea deal.
"We're incredibly gratified by the sentence, and he's looking forward to getting home to his wife and family," Roger Burlingame, his lawyer at Dechert, said.
Andriunin and Gotbit were among 15 people and three firms charged last year following a novel investigation dubbed "Operation Token Mirrors," in which the FBI for the first time directed the creation of its own digital token to help catch fraudsters in the crypto market.
Before the charges were filed, Gotbit was a premier "market maker" in the cryptocurrency industry, making tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue and employing over 200 people, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that from 2018 to 2024, Gotbit engaged in "wash trading," a form of sham trading, and market manipulation on behalf of several cryptocurrency clients to help artificially inflate trading volume for their tokens.
Prosecutors cited a 2019 interview published online in which Andriunin described developing a code to wash trade cryptocurrencies to artificially inflate trading volume so they could become listed on larger cryptocurrency exchanges.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Scott Wolf's estranged wife Kelley claims she's 'trying to locate' their kids following her shocking arrest

Kelley Wolf, the estranged wife of Scott Wolf, has returned to Instagram following her arrest and hospitalization. Kelley made several surprising allegations amid her ongoing divorce from the Party of Five star, 57. 'There's only one thing I want right now: Peace,' Kelley, 48, wrote on Instagram on June 20. 'I'm currently in my car, parked at my home. I am not in a hospital. I was discharged with zero substances in my system, no diagnosis [and] no family history of mental illness.' Kelley claimed she was forcibly detained by local Utah law enforcement officials earlier this month and then taken to a hospital. 'I was handcuffed, bruised, and offered strong medications like lithium and Seroquel —against my will,' she alleged on Friday. 'Let that sink in.' Scott has not commented on his estranged wife's arrest or hospitalization. He was spotted with the children he shares with Kelley – Jackson, 16, Miller, 12; and Lucy, 11, at an airport. 'On the road with my forever squad,' Scott wrote on a photo of his kids on an escalator in an airport on his Instagram Stories on Friday. The post also featured Rusted Root's 'Send Me On My Way' playing in the background. Scott and Kelley were married for 21 years before he filed for divorce last month. has not received a response to its request for comment from Scott Wolf. Kelley wrote that Scott 'filed for divorce this past week, even though I've been trying to file for a legal separation for 9 LONG months, appears to have taken our three children to Boston. 'Without informing me. I'm currently trying to locate them so I can meet them there. I've barely seen my kids,' she heartbreakingly wrote. Kelley continued: 'Getting divorced is hard enough without the public weighing in on my every move. Enough is enough. 'If you're a real friend — or even someone who's known me for a while — You probably have my number. … I'm consistent. I'm a good friend. If you know, you know.' She added, 'Unless I've worked with you for many years or you're already a paid partnership OR a true friend, I would kindly request you stop viewing my IG.' Her post continued, bizarrely blaming Billy Bush, writing, 'And yes—Billy Bush has been going on television claiming he spoke to me while I was in the hospital.' 'That's simply not true. He did not speak to me. Billy, please stop.' And then she went back to blaming Billy Bush, 'And to a certain someone whose name ends in 'Y'… 'It's time to stand down, sir. You're the godfather to my son Miller. We've been friends for over 20 years. Please stop speaking publicly in ways that feel cruel,' she wrote. 'And maybe—just maybe—it's time for you to take care of yourself, too.' On June 13, a friend of Kelley's called 911 to ask them to send a team of mental health professionals to the Sundance Resort where Kelley had been living since she and Scott split. Describing the author and public speaker as 'very skittish' and 'very anti getting help,' the caller noted that she thought 'a team needs to go and insist that she get help.' 'I do not think she will cooperate,' the friend added. 'I mean we've been trying to get her to get some help for weeks to months.' Later Kelley shared a photo to her Instagram Stories over which she had written: 'I have been taken against my will. Please check on my kids. Also… I am happy!! Happier than I have ever been.'

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

Dodgers donate $1m to help families impacted by Trump's ICE raids day after blocking federal agents from stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1 million to families impacted by President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts. Dodgers CEO and President Stan Kasten said his team 'believe[s] that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles.' The pledge comes after the team said it blocked Immigration and Customs Encorfement (ICE) agents from entering Dodger Stadium parking lots on Thursday morning – prompting the administration to say they were Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operatives, not ICE. 'What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,' Kasten said in a statement Friday. Dozens of federal agents were reportedly staging outside the stadium in unmarked SUVs on Thursday morning. Los Angeles elected officials then alerted the stadium to their presence, prompting the team's owners to bar agents from entering, according to local outlet ABC7. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the incident 'had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.' In a post on X, ICE denied being at the stadium at all: 'False. We were never there.' On Friday, local community leaders circulated a petition calling on the Dodgers to 'publicly denounce the raids.' 'The Dodgers aren't just a team—they're part of the soul of Los Angeles,' the petition reads. 'But today, immigrant families who've stood by this team for generations are under attack.' 'As ICE raids escalate across the city, parents are being torn from their children. Communities are living in fear. Latino families — who make up 40% of the Dodgers' fan base and contribute $300 million in annual revenue — deserve more than silence,' the petition continues. Dodgers player Kiké Hernández said he's 'saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city' in a post on Instagram last week. 'Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love,' Hernández wrote. 'This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.' Thursday's incident came in the wake of a crackdown on anti-ICE protests in downtown LA that followed a series of raids in the city. The Trump administration deployed the National Guard – over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom – as well as a contingent of Marines. Critics said the deployment was an overreaction to the protests. California senator Alex Padilla was arrested, pulled to the ground and handcuffed when he challenged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the deployment at a press conference in LA on June 12. He had interrupted her after she said Los Angeles and California needed to be 'liberated' from its elected lawmakers. Some Los Angeles sports teams had already spoken out about the ICE raids, which have swept the country after Trump promised to carry out ' the largest deportation program in American history.' Women's soccer team Angel City FC issued a statement on social media, noting the team is 'heartbroken by the fear and uncertainty many in our Los Angeles community are feeling right now.' "At Angel City, we believe in the power of belonging,' the team posted on June 7. 'We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home." The team also shared community resources for immigrants, including the LA County Office for Immigration Affairs and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. The next day, the men's soccer team LAFC said their organization 'believes that the true strength of our community comes from the people and cultures that make up the tapestry of this beautiful and diverse city.' 'Today, when so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty, LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community,' the LAFC statement reads. The controversy over Trump's crackdown was brought into the national spotlight again last Saturday, when the singer Nezza shrugged off the team's reported request to perform the National Anthem in English. Instead, she sang in Spanish. 'I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente,' she said. 'Safe to say I'm never allowed in that stadium ever again," she said in a video explaining what happened. The Dodgers released a statement after the incident saying there we "no hard feelings" and that the team "would be happy to have her back." The incident occurred before a game against the team's longtime rival, the San Francisco Giants, and on the same day as the "No Kings" protests against Trump.

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

BREAKING NEWS Ex-NFL player Kirk Barton charged with vehicular homicide after fatal crash in Ohio

Former NFL player Kirk Barton has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide relating to a fatal crash in Ohio on Saturday morning. The 40-year-old, who played guard for the Chicago Bears, is accused of driving a Ford pickup truck 'at a high rate of speed' eastbound on U.S. Route 33 near Dublin around 3am. According to NBC4, Barton then entered Historic Dublin and collided with a Lexus on West Bridge Street. He was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road before the crash. The driver of the Lexus, 24-year-old Ethan Perry, was pronounced dead at the scene. Barton was released from hospital into police custody after suffering some non-life threatening injuries in the smash. Police at the scene claimed he had slurred speech and his breath smelt of alcohol. It's also alleged that Barton couldn't answer basic questions and admitted he had been drinking before the incident. Barton has been charged with a second-degree felony count of aggravated vehicular homicide. He is due to be arraigned on Monday. On June 15, Barton's wife Kim posted a Father's Day message to her husband on Instagram. It appears the couple share three young sons. She wrote: 'The boys and I are so thankful for you. What a great year and an even better one on deck. We hope you have the best day ever. Love you to the moon and back'. Barton played college football at Ohio State from 2003 to 2007. He was drafted by the Bears with the 247th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft. He made just one appearance for the Bears and had spells with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.