WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2021) An Ohio resident pleaded guilty for being engaged in a conspiracy that illegally money-laundered more than $300 million via a Bitcoin cryptocurrency service on the Darknet, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday.
"Larry Dean Harmon, 38, of Akron, admitted that he operated Helix from 2014 to 2017," the Justice Department said in a news release. "Helix functioned as a Bitcoin 'mixer' or 'tumbler,' allowing customers, for a fee, to send Bitcoin to designated recipients in a manner that was designed to conceal the source or owner."
The Justice Department said in the release that Helix was linked to and associated with "Grams," a Darknet search engine also run by Harmon.
Harmon advertised Helix to customers on the Darknet to conceal transactions from law enforcement, the release said.
"Harmon admitted that he conspired with Darknet vendors to launder bitcoin generated through drug trafficking and other illegal activities," FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono said.
Harmon admitted that Helix partnered with several Darknet markets, including AlphaBay, Evolution, Cloud 9 and others, to provide Bitcoin money laundering services for market customers. In total, Helix moved more than 350,000 Bitcoin - valued at over $300 million at the time of the transactions - on behalf of customers.
