The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to forfeit more than $61 million allegedly linked to illicit Iranian oil sales laundered through a cryptocurrency exchange ‘Binance’.
The company, in a statement, noted that it will cooperate with law enforcement on this matter, the report added. Around $1.7 billion had flowed from two Binance accounts to Iranian entities with links to terrorist groups, according to the February NYT report.
“As alleged in the complaint filed today, the Government of Iran used a network of cryptocurrency actors in China and elsewhere to launder more than $1.5 billion in illicit oil money intended to benefit the Iranian military and the terror-designated IRGC,” Manhattan Deputy US Attorney Sean Buckley said in a statement. “Today we are seizing and seeking to forfeit more than $61 million of the Government of Iran’s money, which otherwise would have promoted hostile military action and terrorist attacks against the US and our allies,” Buckley added. Prosecutors have not accused Binance of wrongdoing, according to Bloomberg. “We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement on this matter, and where sanctions or illicit-finance risk is identified, we will always investigate, restrict or freeze accounts where appropriate, offboard users, and report to relevant authorities,” the firm said in the statement. Furthermore, the company said it did not permit any transactions with people who were sanctioned.
