On August 29, 2020, signs were visible at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
The federal prosecutor in Brooklyn has charged Founder of the United States Cryptocurrency Payment companies operate what they call a complex international money laundering program Russian Banks and other entities.
Iurii Gugnin, a 38-year-old Russian nationality living in Manhattan, was arrested and arraigned on Monday and ordered to be detained without pending trial.
Gugnin faces 22 charges of cable and bank fraud, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls, laundering money, and failing to implement legally required anti-money laundering agreements.
“The defendant was charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a secret pipeline of dirty money, transferring more than a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to help approve Russian banks and help Russian end users access sensitive U.S. technology,” Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Gugnin used his company (Evita Investments and Evita Pay) to process about $530 million in payments while concealing the origin and purpose of the fund. It is said that between June 2023 and January 2025, he transferred funds to funds through Bank of America and cryptocurrency exchanges, mainly using Tie the ropea widely used dollar fixation stabilizer.
Clients include individuals and businesses with approved Russian institutions such as Sberbank, VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Tinkoff and state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom.
To implement the plan, Gugnin allegedly misrepresented his scope of business, forged compliance documents, and lied to banks and digital asset platforms, introducing his relationship with Russia. Prosecutors said he covered up the funding source through his Shell account and tampered with more than 80 invoices, digitally eliminating the identity of his Russian rival.
Investigators also cite internet searches that show he knows he is under scrutiny, which includes questions like “How to know there is an investigation against you” and “We punish us for money laundering.”
The Justice Department says Gugnin maintains direct contact with members of Russian Intelligence Services and Iranian officials – not included in the U.S. states
He has also been accused of helping export sensitive U.S. technology to Russian customers, including counterterrorism-controlled servers.
Gugnin was introduced last fall Wall Street Journal article Regarding Manhattan’s high net worth renter, he reportedly paid $19,000 per month for apartments.
If convicted on a charge of bank fraud, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, but if convicted on various charges, Gugnin’s consecutive maximum sentence may significantly longer than his life.
