Bitzlato Ex-CEO Requests Trump Pardon After Guilty Plea

Anatoly Legkodymov, the Russian national and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, has reportedly requested a presidential pardon from US President Donald Trump after serving 18 months in prison following his 2023 guilty plea. According to a Friday report by Russian state media outlet TASS, Legkodymov’s legal team formally submitted the pardon request, arguing that he became a “target in a political campaign against the crypto market and talented Russian programmers.” Legkodymov was indicted in January 2023 and pleaded guilty in December to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. He was sentenced to time served in July 2024 after spending about 18 months in custody. Ivan Melnikov, vice president of the Russian branch of the International Committee for Human Rights, stated that Legkodymov’s decision to seek a pardon was rooted in the hope that the US would return to “a more balanced and fair approach to digital finance.” Ties to Hydra and Ransomware Funds According to court documents, Legkodymov was accused of facilitating the transfer of illicit funds through his role at Bitzlato. US authorities alleged that Bitzlato was linked to the dark web Hydra Marketplace, with hundreds of millions of dollars flowing through the platform, and that the exchange received approximately $15 million connected to ransomware-related transactions. French authorities have also sought to extradite Legkodymov to face related charges after the completion of his prison term in the United States. It remains unclear whether President Trump has received the pardon request or if he intends to take action. Trump’s Crypto Pardon Cases Gain Attention Since returning to office in January, Trump has issued at least 58 presidential pardons, including notable figures in the crypto space. Among them were Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who had been serving two life sentences , and four former BitMEX executives: Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed. In May, former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao also confirmed he applied for a pardon from Trump after serving a four-month sentence following his 2023 guilty plea as part of Binance’s settlement with US authorities. Reports have also suggested that Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of the collapsed exchange FTX, is attempting to secure a pardon by speaking on conservative platforms and distancing himself from the Democratic Party. Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terminal Island. The post Bitzlato Ex-CEO Requests Trump Pardon After Guilty Plea appeared first on TheCoinrise.com .