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Justice Department Will Prosecute Banks, Crypto Exchanges That Help Russians Hide Assets: Report
A new task force has been created to freeze or take the assets of Russians that have been sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine.
By Nelson Wang
Updated May 11, 2023, 6:14 p.m. Published Mar 11, 2022, 7:19 p.m.
The U.S. Justice Department will investigate and prosecute people and financial institutions, including crypto exchanges, that aid Russians in hiding their assets from sanctions, according to a Bloomberg report, citing a senior department official.
- A new task force composed of prosecutors, agents, analysts and translators from across the Justice Department has been created to pursue these investigations, according to the official.
- The type of assets that might be frozen or seized include real estate, stock holdings, bank accounts, yachts, airplanes, jewelry and artwork, the official said.
- The move comes amid growing concern by U.S. lawmakers and others that cryptocurrency can be used by individuals and entities in Russia to avoid economic sanctions.
- On Friday, the White House and G7 group of nations said they would issue new guidance regarding the use of cryptocurrency to evade U.S. sanctions against Russia.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Read more: Crypto Still Isn't Helping Russian Oligarchs Evade Sanctions
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- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
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CFTC's acting chief Pham poised to go to crypto firm MoonPay once Mike Selig lands
The leader of the derivatives regulator is planning to join the crypto industry as the CFTC and other federal regulators work on policies to benefit the sector.
What to know:
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline Pham confirmed again that she's heading to crypto firm MoonPay when the Senate confirms her replacement and he's sworn in.
- President Donald Trump's CFTC chair nominee Mike Selig was set for a Senate vote Wednesday evening, according to that chamber's schedule.
- Selig, currently an SEC official, would arrive at the CFTC just as several of Pham's crypto initiatives have gone live.
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