Today, in a coordinated action with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned two Russian nationals for their involvement in a sophisticated phishing campaign in 2017 and 2018 that targeted customers of two U.S.-based, and one foreign-based, virtual asset service providers, commonly known as cryptocurrency exchanges. American citizens and businesses were among the victims of this malicious cyber-enabled activity, which resulted in combined losses of at least $16.8 million.
The two individuals sanctioned today, Danil Potekhin and Dmitrii Karasavidi, are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, which targets malicious cyber-enabled activities, including those related to the significant misappropriation of funds or personal identifiers for private financial gain. Potekhin and Karasavidi are also the subjects of an indictment unsealed today by the Department of Justice.
The United States will continue to promote accountability among malign actors seeking to undermine our economic security. Today's coordinated action demonstrates our commitment to deterring cybercrimes, which would otherwise impose great costs on Americans.
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