ChainCatcher reported that according to Bitcoin.com, the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that it had filed criminal charges against two Russian citizens, accusing them of stealing 340 million Philippine pesos (about 6.2 million US dollars) worth of cryptocurrency XRP from local dealers.

According to the charges filed before the Taguig Regional Trial Court, defendants Vladimir Evgenevich Avdeev and Sergey Yaschuck face charges under Republic Act No. 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Avdeev and Yaschuck served as consultants for Coins.ph, a Philippine cryptocurrency exchange owned by Betur Inc., and allegedly hacked into the company's systems, resulting in the theft of 12.2 million XRP.