U.S. prosecutors charge two men arrested in Georgia over AudiA6, a Bitcoin mixing service tied to nearly $390M in alleged laundering.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania have charged two Eastern European nationals accused of running a cryptocurrency mixing service that allegedly processed about $389.7 million in Bitcoin linked to cybercrime and illicit online markets.
Ruslan Igorevich Tkachuk, 37, a Ukrainian national, and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev, 25, a Russian national, were arrested in Batumi, Georgia, where both reside. Each faces charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and sting money laundering.
According to the indictment, both men were senior members of AudiA6, a cryptocurrency mixing operation that also ran a cybercrime forum known as Dark2Web. Prosecutors say the platform was used to obscure Bitcoin transactions and facilitate negotiations for illegal services.
AudiA6 began operating in 2021 and processed approximately 10,333 Bitcoin, valued at roughly $389.7 million at the time of the transactions. The service generated at least $10 million in commissions, charging up to 5% per transaction, according to court filings.
Prosecutors allege that about 393 Bitcoin, worth roughly $19.2 million, was traced directly to darknet markets, ransomware groups, and other illicit sources. Additional funds are alleged to have originated from criminal activity but were routed indirectly through the service.
The case includes evidence from six undercover operations conducted between December 2022 and May 2026. FBI and U.S. Secret Service agents posed as individuals seeking to launder proceeds from fraud and drug trafficking.
Court documents quote an AudiA6 operator telling an undercover agent that stolen Bitcoin was acceptable, responding “don’t care.” In another exchange, the operator allegedly said drug proceeds “need to go through a mixer.”
The investigation involved the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Europol, Eurojust, and law enforcement agencies in Australia, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Authorities searched three properties, seized digital devices, froze cryptocurrency assets, and disabled associated Telegram accounts. The AudiA6 and Dark2Web websites were replaced with law enforcement seizure notices.
Cryptocurrency mixers, also known as tumblers, are used to obscure transaction trails by pooling and redistributing digital assets. U.S. authorities have increasingly targeted such services in cases involving laundering tied to ransomware and darknet markets.
Tkachuk and Ledenev are being held in Georgia. U.S. authorities are pursuing extradition to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The investigation remains active.
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Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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