Anatoly Legkodymov, a Russian citizen and former CEO of Cryptocurrency Exchange Bitzlato, reportedly demanded a federal pardon from US President Donald Trump after conviction in 2023 and serving in prison for 18 months.
According to a report on Friday by the Russian state media outlet Tass, Legkodimov’s legal team officially sought Trump for a presidential pardon after pleading guilty to running an unauthorized remittance business. Legkodymov was charged in January 2023, pleaded guilty in December, detained for about 18 months before being sentenced to working hours in July 2024.
According to TASS, “Anatoly (…) has become a target for political campaigns against crypto markets and talented Russian programmers and talented Russian programmers.” “His decision to seek pardon is based on the hope that the United States will return to a more balanced and fair approach.”
According to his indictment, Legkodimov was part of an operation that encouraged the transmission of illegal funds through his role in Bitzrat. US authorities claimed hundreds of millions of dollars had flowed from Bitzrat into the Dark Web Hisdrama Ketplace, with the exchange receiving about $15 million connected to a ransomware attack.
Related: Binance Founder CZ Zhao has given Trump his belief in money laundering
French authorities reportedly were trying to hand over Legkodimov to face similar charges after his time in the US. It is unclear whether Trump has received the request for pardon or whether he will act on it.
Cointelegraph contacted the White House for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
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A pardon for pleading guilty or convicted crypto industry figures
Since taking office in January, Trump has issued at least 58 presidential pardons. Among them were Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who faced two life sentences in federal prisons, and four former cryptocurrency exchange executives Bitmex Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Dero, Gregory Dwyer and Samuel Reid.
Former Vinance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said in May that he had applied for a pardon from Trump. Zhao pleaded guilty to one felony charge in November 2023 as part of a deal between US authorities and Binance. He served in prison for four months.
Reports suggest that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to secure a federal pardon from Trump by talking about conservative press and distancing himself from Democrats. Bankmanfried was sentenced to 25 years in 2024 and was booked into a federal correctional facility on Terminal Island as of Friday.
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