Russian prosecutors apply to seize nearly $30 million in assets from former investigator involved in WEX "cryptocurrency bribery" case

PANews, December 3—According to DL News, Russian prosecutors are seeking to confiscate a large amount of luxury assets belonging to fugitive secret service official Georgy Satyukov. He is accused of accepting $184 million worth of Bitcoin and $30 million worth of Ethereum as bribes from the operators of the now-defunct WEX cryptocurrency exchange. Investigators have identified assets worth $29.6 million linked to Satyukov’s alleged bribery. Prosecutors claim Satyukov used the illicit funds to purchase 13 apartments in Russia, several non-residential properties in St. Petersburg, a villa in the UAE, and a million-dollar property in Saratov registered under his brother’s name. The investigation also found two Porsche Cayenne Turbos, seven Patek Philippe watches, and other jewelry totaling over $1.3 million registered to him, as well as over $15 million in cash and foreign currency in family bank accounts.

The bribes allegedly originated from former WEX system administrator Alexey Ivanov, who sought Satyukov’s help to evade criminal investigation. Both Satyukov and his former colleague Dmitry Sokolov are currently at large, and a Moscow court is preparing to try them in absentia. If convicted, their assets may be confiscated by the state. WEX exchange took over BTC-e’s trading business in 2017 after its founder, Alexander Vinnik, was arrested in Greece on fraud and money laundering charges; WEX ceased operations in 2018.