US Seizes E-Note Crypto Exchange for Ransomware Laundering
Summary
Hide ▲
Show ▼
The U.S. Department of Justice, led by the FBI and collaborating with international partners, has seized the E-Note cryptocurrency exchange for allegedly laundering over $70 million in ransomware and account takeover proceeds. The operation involved confiscating domains, servers, and customer databases, with an indictment unsealed against the Russian national Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, believed to be the operator of E-Note. Chudnovets targeted US healthcare and critical infrastructure sectors through his money laundering services, which he began offering in 2010. This action may lead to further identification of cybercriminals involved in the laundering scheme.
Timeline
-
18.12.2025 18:13 2 articles · 1d ago
US Seizes E-Note Crypto Exchange for Ransomware Laundering
The FBI led the operation, collaborating with the Michigan State Police’s Michigan Cyber Command Center (MC3), the German Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice, along with international partners, has seized the E-Note cryptocurrency exchange for laundering over $70 million in ransomware and account takeover proceeds. The operation involved confiscating domains, servers, and customer databases, with an indictment unsealed against the Russian national Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, believed to be the operator of E-Note. Chudnovets targeted US healthcare and critical infrastructure sectors through his money laundering services, which he began offering in 2010. This action may lead to further identification of cybercriminals involved in the laundering scheme.
Show sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
Information Snippets
-
E-Note cryptocurrency exchange was seized for laundering over $70 million in illicit funds.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Funds originated from ransomware attacks and account takeovers, funneled through an international network of money mules.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Domains e-note.com, e-note.ws, and jabb.mn, along with associated mobile apps, were confiscated.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Servers hosting the platform and customer databases were seized, potentially aiding future law enforcement actions.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, a Russian national, was indicted for money laundering conspiracy.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Chudnovets began offering money-laundering services in 2010, facilitating the transfer of funds across countries.
First reported: 18.12.2025 18:132 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments — www.bleepingcomputer.com — 18.12.2025 18:13
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
The FBI led the operation, collaborating with the Michigan State Police’s Michigan Cyber Command Center (MC3), the German Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation.
First reported: 19.12.2025 11:001 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
-
Chudnovets targeted US healthcare and critical infrastructure sectors through his money laundering services.
First reported: 19.12.2025 11:001 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FBI Disrupts Russian Crypto Laundering Hub Enabling Cybercrime — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 19.12.2025 11:00
Similar Happenings
International Law Enforcement Disrupts Rhadamanthys, VenomRAT, and Elysium Malware Operations
Law enforcement agencies from 11 countries, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, disrupted operations of Rhadamanthys infostealer, VenomRAT, and Elysium botnet malware as part of Operation Endgame 3.0. The action, which occurred between November 10 and 13, 2025, involved seizing over 1,000 servers and 20 domains, arresting a key suspect in Greece, and uncovering millions of stolen credentials. The operation also involved multiple private cybersecurity partners. The dismantled infrastructure included hundreds of thousands of infected computers, with the main suspect behind Rhadamanthys having access to over 100,000 crypto wallets worth millions of euros. Victims were often unaware of their systems' infections. The latest version of Rhadamanthys added support for collecting device and web browser fingerprints, along with incorporating several mechanisms to fly under the radar. Additionally, the Dutch police seized around 250 physical servers and thousands of virtual servers used by a bulletproof hosting service, which has been involved in over 80 cybercrime investigations since 2022. The seized servers were located in data centers in The Hague and Zoetermeer.
International Law Enforcement Dismantles Credit Card Fraud Networks
International authorities have dismantled three large-scale credit card fraud and money laundering networks in Operation Chargeback. The operation targeted 44 suspects, including American, Austrian, Canadian, Danish, Dutch, German, and Lithuanian nationals, and resulted in the arrest of 18 individuals. The fraud networks affected over 4.3 million cardholders across 193 countries, causing losses exceeding €300 million. The operation involved over 60 searches and the execution of 18 arrest warrants. The fraudsters created over 19 million fake online subscriptions for services like pornography, dating, and streaming. They disguised monthly charges of about €50 to avoid detection. The operation was led by the Cybercrime Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office in Koblenz and the German Federal Criminal Police Office, supported by Europol and Eurojust. Authorities seized assets worth over €35 million, including luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and electronic devices. The suspects face accusations of organized computer fraud, membership in a criminal group, and money laundering. The fraudsters abused four major German payment service providers to launder proceeds, with six employees allegedly helping the fraudsters in exchange for fees. The suspects concealed their activities through numerous shell companies obtained through crime-as-a-service providers, primarily registered in the UK and Cyprus. The estimated attempted damages from the fraud schemes surpass €750 million (~$865 million).
Interpol-led Operation HAECHI VI Seizes $439 Million in Global Cybercrime Crackdown
Interpol and 40 countries' law enforcement agencies seized $439 million in cash and cryptocurrency during Operation HAECHI VI, a five-month operation targeting cyber-enabled financial crimes. The operation, conducted between April and August 2025, involved a wide range of criminal activities, including voice phishing, investment fraud, e-commerce fraud, online sextortion, business email compromise, romance scams, and money laundering. The operation resulted in the seizure of 400 cryptocurrency wallets, blocking of 68,000 bank accounts, and the arrest of 45 suspects in Portugal. Additionally, Thai police seized $6.6 million transferred by a Japanese corporation into accounts controlled by a transnational organized crime group. This operation is part of a series of global efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes, with previous operations HAECHI V and HAECHI IV also resulting in significant seizures and arrests.
Crypto fraud ring dismantled by European authorities
A joint operation by European law enforcement agencies has dismantled a cryptocurrency investment fraud ring that defrauded over 100 victims of €100 million ($118 million). The operation, coordinated by Eurojust and supported by Europol, involved authorities from Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania. The ring operated since at least 2018, targeting investors across 23 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The fraudsters used professionally designed online platforms to promise high returns on cryptocurrency investments. Funds were funneled into bank accounts in Lithuania, and victims were charged additional fees to recover their assets. The fraudulent websites eventually went offline, leaving investors with significant losses. Five suspects were arrested, and bank accounts and financial assets were frozen during the operation. The main perpetrator has been accused of large-scale fraud and money laundering.
BlackSuit Ransomware Infrastructure Disrupted in International Law Enforcement Operation
On July 24, 2025, an international law enforcement operation led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) targeted the BlackSuit ransomware gang. The operation resulted in the takedown of four servers and nine domains, as well as the seizure of over $1 million in cryptocurrency. BlackSuit, also known as Royal, has been active since 2022 and has targeted over 450 victims in the U.S., including critical infrastructure sectors such as education, healthcare, energy, and government entities. The operation involved multiple U.S. agencies and international partners from the UK, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, Ukraine, and Lithuania. The goal is to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem and hold cybercriminals accountable.