According to The Block, ChainCatcher reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has accused Iurii Gugnin, a Russian-born resident of New York, of allegedly laundering over $530 million from Russia into the U.S. financial system through his cryptocurrency company Evita. The Department of Justice stated that Gugnin primarily used USDT to launder money for foreign clients, including sanctioned Russian bank account holders, between June 2023 and January 2025, concealing the source of funds and making false statements to banks and trading platforms.
Gugnin, 38 years old, also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, is the founder, president, and compliance officer of Evita Investments and Evita Pay. He is charged with 22 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, with each bank fraud charge carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The Assistant Attorney General for National Security Affairs stated that the defendant transformed his cryptocurrency company into a "secret conduit for dirty money" and assisted sanctioned Russian parties in obtaining sensitive U.S. products.
