Russian authorities begin liquidating 1 billion rubles worth of Bitcoin in landmark bribery case

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The case involving the conviction of former Russian investigator Marat Tambiyev for bribery sheds light on the role of cryptocurrency in illegal activities and how law enforcement agencies track and seize illegal assets.

Overview of the incident

Bribery:

Marat Tambiyev, who served as the chief investigator of the Tver District of Moscow, was convicted of accepting a bribe of 1,032 Bitcoin (BTC). Tambiyev accepted these Bitcoins in exchange for providing protection to a hacker group Infraud to help them circumvent the confiscation of their illegally obtained assets.

Infraud Group:

Infraud is a well-known international hacker group involved in cybercrime activities, especially in credit card fraud, identity theft and other forms of cybercrime.

Bitcoin and Hardware Wallets:

During the investigation, law enforcement authorities found these Bitcoins on Tambiyev's personal devices, including the Ledger Nano X hardware wallet. Ledger Nano X is a cryptocurrency hardware wallet that is commonly used to store and manage digital assets such as Bitcoin.

Court ruling and fine:

In 2023, the Nikulinsky Court in Moscow ordered the seizure of these Bitcoins as one of the evidence of illegal activities. The court sentenced Tambiev to 16 years in prison for bribery and fined him 500 million rubles (about 5.2 million US dollars). In addition, he was stripped of his military rank and is not allowed to hold any government position in the next 12 years.

Further developments in the case:

In addition, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office also filed a lawsuit to further seize Tambiev's property, including a motorcycle, a house and more Bitcoin, because they believed that these assets were obtained by illegal means.

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