PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was extradited from the Netherlands to Oregon where he pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to a laundering scheme involving Russian cryptocurrency.
Denis Mihaqlovic Dubnikov, 30, faced one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
From Aug. 2018 and Aug. 2021, Dubnikov was involved in an international scheme where he and others would launder the funds collected in Ryuk ransomware attacks on individuals and businesses in the U.S. and abroad, according to court documents. Once the ransom payments were made, Dubknikov and other Ryuk actors would allegedly make domestic and international transactions to cover up who and where the money came from.
In one scheme, officials claim Dubnikov exchanged about $400,000 for 35 Bitcoin that came from the ransom paid by a U.S. company. Dubnikov was later paid for converting that Bitcoin to Tether and passing it off to another alleged schemer who ultimately exchanged it for Chinese Renminbi.
Dubnikov was arrested in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2021. He was recently extradited to the U.S. and made his first federal court appearance in Oregon on Aug. 17, 2022.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11 where he could face up to 20 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a $500,000 fine.
