The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that Larry Dean Harmon, 41, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to three years in prison for operating Helix, a cryptocurrency mixer that facilitated over $300 million in bitcoin transactions between 2014 and 2017.
Helix was linked to Grams, a darknet search engine also run by Harmon, and was widely used by drug dealers seeking to launder illicit proceeds, the DOJ noted. “Helix was one of the most popular mixing services on the darknet and was highly sought after by online drug dealers who needed to launder their illicit proceeds,” the Justice Department detailed, adding:
Helix processed at least approximately 354,468 bitcoin — the equivalent of approximately $311,145,854 in U.S. dollars at the time of the transactions — on behalf of its customers, including customers in the District of Columbia.
Harmon developed Helix to integrate seamlessly with major darknet markets by creating an Application Program Interface (API) and other custom features to support these platforms. Investigators traced millions of dollars from illegal drug transactions to Helix, and Harmon pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
His sentencing includes three years of supervised release, a forfeiture money judgment of $311,145,854, and the forfeiture of cryptocurrencies, real estate, and other assets worth over $400 million. The investigation was led by the IRS Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI, with international support from Belizean authorities and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which also imposed a $60 million civil penalty. DOJ officials confirmed:
In addition to his term in prison, Harmon was sentenced to three years of supervised release; a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $311,145,854; and forfeiture of seized cryptocurrencies, real estate, and monetary assets valued at over $400 million.
