Two Chinese nationals were charged Monday with laundering over US$100 million in cryptocurrency that had been stolen by North Korean hackers, US prosecutors said. Tian Yinyin and Li Jiadong were charged in an indictment unsealed in Washington with money laundering conspiracy and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Prosecutors allege the North Korean hackers gained access to a virtual currency exchange in 2018 and stole nearly US$250 million worth of virtual currency before laundering the cryptocurrency through several transactions. Authorities charge that between December 2017 and April 2019, Yinyin and Jiadong were responsible for laundering over US$100 million in cryptocurrency. Authorities say a portion of the stolen money has already been recovered.

Source: The Standard March 03, 2020 08:26 UTC