U.S. authorities have intimated that they believe that the Russian DJ who was arrested at their request used the dark web to help money laundering criminals.
Denis Kaznacheev, who was apprehended in Berlin, is said to have helped assisted criminals launder about $310 million for a service fee of between $3.1 and $15.5 million.
This information was provided by the suspect’s lawyer Jonathan Burmeister who spoke about a recent receipt of an arrest warrant for the Russian citizen – which contains intricate information that appertains to the case.
The Arrest
The Russian, who was born in 1983, specialized in the production of electronic music using the stage name Guttersnipe.
He was apprehended on December 9, 2019 in fulfillment of an order that was issued by a court in one of Maryland’s districts.
Reports about the case and arrest blew up after the DJ’s Facebook page made a post indicating that Kaznacheev was in German custody for a week. The post detailed that the arrest had been executed following a special request by U.S. authorities, although the possibility that the suspect’s identity had be stolen for criminal purposes was considered.
The aftermath of the man’s arrest saw the emergence of a public petition to support Kaznacheev. Reportedly, his peers and friends maintained their stance that the suspect was innocent. His music manager stated that the man had lived a simple life that could not suggest criminal-gained opulence. According to him, Kaznacheev had been forced to borrow in order to get by.
In highlight of the case’s importance, the Russian Foreign Ministry also weighed in on the issue through their spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The official denounced the legitimacy of Kaznacheev’s imminent extradition to the U.S. and asserted that the ministry would attempt to stop it.
What Is the Defense Saying?
Burmeister came out to dispel the claims made by the arrest warrant concerning his client’s involvement in money laundering.
First, according to the lawyer’s account, the money laundering charges reflect events that occurred in the last decade.
The claims have been made based on accounts that were opened in Russia and other destinations – all of which were hosted on dark web platforms that specialized in the provision of money laundering services using Kaznacheev’s name.
Burmeister maintained that his client did not engage in any of the stated accusations, that an external actor had used his passport photo to open the accounts. In this regard, the lawyer thought that his client may have been deceived.
Otherwise, according to Burmeister, the Russian DJ had provided assistance to a friend for an account that he later sold. Being a decade ago, the lawyer cited his client’s lack of knowledge concerning operations in the hidden web – he claimed that Kaznacheev had never visited the dark web before, and that someone else must have used his credentials.
In light of the arrest warrant, the lawyer faulted the document issued by U.S. authorities – which state that about $310 million had been cleaned via the dark web under Kaznacheev’s name, and that the figure may be larger than initially fathomed.
The lawyer dismissed the document’s claims on grounds of being unclear – one hand, the sum of $310 million is spelled out yet the U.S. still thinks that the illicit business was bigger than that.
Burmeister went on to confirm that Kaznacheev surrendered his computer along with passwords to the U.S. authorities. The Russian had also been subjected to questioning by the U.S. Secret Service.
As far as the lawyer is concerned, the analysis of the materials show that the man is innocent – the defense attorney saw it fit that Washington withdraws the arrest warrant.
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