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Seizure of Bitfinex funds is a reminder that crypto is no good for money launderers

Published 02/26/2022, 09:11 AM
Updated 02/27/2022, 11:00 AM

As public understanding of how digital assets work becomes more nuanced along with the mainstreaming of crypto, the language of Bitcoin’s (BTC) “anonymity” gradually becomes a thing of the past. High-profile law enforcement operations such as the one that recently led to the U.S. government seizing some $3.6 billion worth of crypto are particularly instrumental in driving home the idea that assets whose transaction history is recorded on an open, distributed ledger are better described as “pseudonymous,” and that such a design is not particularly favorable for those wishing to get away with stolen funds.

No matter how hard criminals try to obscure the movement of ill-gotten digital money, at some point in the transaction chain they are likely to invoke addresses to which personal details have been tied. Here is how it went down in the Bitfinex case, according to the documents made public by the U.S. government.

Too comfortable too early

Following the money

A case to be made

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