### US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco [confirmed](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-and-majority-owner-bitzlato-cryptocurrency-exchange-charged-unlicensed-money) that French and US authorities seized Bitzlato, a Peer to Peer Crypto Exchange for alleged transmission of illicit funds and violations of US safety regulations. 

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Bitzlato founder Anatoly Legkodymov in Miami in connection with the law enforcement action again the exchange.

The US Department of Justice official statement indicated that:

>"Bitzlato Ltd. Processed More than $700 Million Dollars’ Worth of Illicit Funds, Including Millions in Ransomware Proceeds"

The release also shared these details:

>“Today the Department of Justice dealt a significant blow to the cryptocrime ecosystem,” stated Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “Overnight, the Department worked with key partners here and abroad to disrupt Bitzlato, the China-based money laundering engine that fueled a high-tech axis of cryptocrime, and to arrest its founder, Russian national Anatoly Legkodymov. Today’s actions send the clear message: whether you break our laws from China or Europe—or abuse our financial system from a tropical island—you can expect to answer for your crimes inside a United States courtroom.”            

>“As alleged, the defendant helped operate a cryptocurrency exchange that failed to implement anti-money laundering safeguards and enabled criminals to profit from their wrongdoing, including ransomware and drug trafficking,” stated Assistant Attorney General Polite.  “The National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team’s tremendous efforts to disrupt Bitzlato and arrest the defendant demonstrate that we will continue to work with our partners – both foreign and domestic – to combat cryptocurrency-fueled crimes, even if they transcend international borders.”

Law enforcement actors from the following agencies collaborated and/or contributed intelligence for this operation: US National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), Cyber Division, Paris Prosecution Office, France Cybercrime Investigation Unit (C3N), Customs and Border Protection, EUROPOL, NYPD, the US TSA, and the Dutch and Belgian authorities.

US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco confirmed that French and US authorities seized Bitzlato, a Peer to Peer Crypto Exchange for alleged transmission of illicit funds and violations of US safety regulations. Bitzlato founder Anatoly Legkodymov was also arrested by the FBI in connection with the case.

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