Garantex
US sanctions Grinex crypto-exchange, successor to Garantex
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions against Grinex, the successor to Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which was previously sanctioned for helping ransomware gangs launder their money. A TRM Labs report, released in April, revealed that Grinex has strong ties to Garantex’s previous operations, but stopped short of providing evidence that it was being used […]
Grinex exchange suspected rebrand of sanctioned Garantex crypto firm
A new cryptocurrency exchange named Grinex is believed to be a rebrand of Garantex, a Russian cryptocurrency exchange whose domains were seized by the U.S. authorities and an admin arrested. According to a new report by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, Grinex shows strong ties to Garantex’s previous operations but has not determined if it’s […]
Garantex crypto exchange admin arrested while on vacation
Indian authorities arrested Aleksej Besciokov, the co-founder and one of the administrators of the Russian Garantex crypto-exchange while vacationing with his family in Varkala, India. As infosec journalist Brian Krebs first reported on Tuesday, the 46-year-old Lithuanian national and Russian resident was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon by Kerala state police officers under the country’s extradition law. Besciokov (aka “proforg” and […]
US charges Garantex admins with money laundering, sanctions violations
The administrators of the Russian Garantex crypto-exchange have been charged in the United States with facilitating money laundering for criminal organizations and violating sanctions. 46-year-old Lithuanian national and Russian resident Aleksej Besciokov and 40-year-old Russian national and United Arab Emirates resident Aleksandr Mira Serda—who controlled Garantex between 2019 and 2025—are charged with money laundering conspiracy […]
US seizes domain of Garantex crypto exchange used by ransomware gangs
The U.S. Secret Service has seized the domain of the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the FBI, and Europol. Other law enforcement authorities involved in this action include the Dutch National Police, the German Federal Criminal Police Office, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor’s Office, the Estonian National […]