American hacker stole 712 bitcoins from the government

Gary Harmon, the brother of cryptocurrency mixer Helix founder Larry Harmon, pleaded guilty to stealing more than 712 BTC. The cryptocurrency has now been confiscated. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, the 31-year-old criminal from Cleveland faces 40 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 17.

In February 2020, Larry Harmon was arrested in the United States on suspicion of laundering more than $ 300 million through darknet markets. In addition to the funds in BTC, ETH, and DOGE, law enforcement officers seized the hacker’s physical Trezor bitcoin wallet. However, the police were unable to gain access to the cryptocurrency.

Gary Harmon used his brother’s accounts and secretly transferred more than 712 BTC from his accounts to his bitcoin wallet, which prevented the confiscation of funds. Harmon spent some of the stolen cryptocurrencies on luxury goods and personal needs.

Already in August 2021, Larry Harmon pleaded guilty to laundering more than $ 300 million through the Helix cryptomixer. Therefore, his brother had no choice but to return 712 BTC ($ 12.3 million at the time of writing) to the authorities.

Last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Larry Harmon for failing to pay a $ 60 million fine imposed on him by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. «Harmon actively assisted cybercriminals in circumventing the internal control procedures in place at regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in the United States. Through his services, Harmon promoted illegal activities on the Internet, concealing the nature, location, and sources of income from the cybercriminals' illegal actions,» the lawsuit says. During the investigation, the hacker agreed to voluntary restitution in favor of the state in the amount of 4,400 BTC.