Anatoly Legkodymov, a citizen of Russia and previous CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, allegedly sought a federal pardon from US President Donald Trump following a guilty plea in 2023 and completing 18 months in prison.
As per a report on Friday from the Russian state media source TASS, Legkodymov’s legal representatives formally requested a presidential pardon from Trump after he admitted guilt to running an unlicensed money transmission business. Legkodymov was charged in January 2023, confessed in December, and was subsequently sentenced to time already served in July 2024 after nearly 18 months in custody.
“Anatoly […] became a target in a political campaign against the cryptocurrency sector and skilled Russian developers,” stated Ivan Melnikov, vice president of the Russian division of the International Committee for Human Rights, according to TASS. “His request for a pardon is fueled by the hope that the US will revert to a more equitable and reasonable attitude towards digital finance.”
As indicated in his indictment, Legkodymov was involved in an initiative that enabled the transfer of illegal funds during his tenure at Bitzlato. US officials claimed that hundreds of millions of dollars were funneled from Bitzlato to the dark web Hydra Marketplace, with the exchange reportedly receiving around $15 million connected to ransomware operations.
Related: Binance founder CZ Zhao sought a pardon from Trump for a money laundering conviction
French authorities were said to be pursuing Legkodymov’s extradition to face similar allegations post his time in the US. It remains uncertain if Trump has acknowledged the pardon request or if he intends to take any action on it.
Cointelegraph contacted the White House for a statement but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
Pardons for cryptocurrency industry figures who confessed or were convicted
Since assuming office in January, Trump has granted at least 58 presidential pardons. Among those were Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht, who had been facing two life terms in federal prison, alongside four former executives of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX: Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao noted in May that he had submitted a request for a pardon from Trump. Zhao admitted guilt to one felony charge in November 2023 as part of a settlement with US authorities and served four months behind bars.
There have been indications that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was also trying to obtain a federal pardon from Trump through appearances on conservative media and distancing himself from the Democratic Party. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024 and was located at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terminal Island as of Friday.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto endeavors raise conflict of interest and insider trading concerns
