The U.S. Department of Justice has charged two men — a Ukrainian and a Russian — with running AudiA6, a cryptocurrency mixing service that processed over 10,000 bitcoin worth roughly $390 million since 2021. Ruslan Igorevich Tkachuk, 37, and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev, 25, are accused of conspiracy to launder money and sting money laundering, each facing up to 20 years in prison. The arrests happened in Batumi, Georgia, part of a coordinated international sweep involving the U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Europol, and law enforcement from 15 countries.
How the mixer worked
AudiA6 wasn't just a crypto tumbler — prosecutors say its senior members also managed the Dark2Web cybercrime forum. The service took commissions of up to 5% per transaction and earned at least $10 million in fees. Investigators traced roughly 393 bitcoin — valued at about $19.2 million — directly to darknet markets, ransomware gangs, and other illicit sources. The rest of the 10,333 bitcoin came from users who may not have known the origin, but the operators allegedly didn't ask questions.
Undercover buys and a 'don't care' attitude
Between December 2022 and May 2026, FBI and Secret Service agents ran six undercover operations, posing as criminals looking to clean dirty crypto. In one exchange, an AudiA6 operator told agents they “don't care” if the bitcoin was stolen and suggested using the mixer for drug money. That kind of brazenness gave investigators enough to build the case.
What authorities seized
On the day of the arrests, teams searched three properties, grabbed digital devices, and froze cryptocurrency accounts. They also blocked Telegram accounts tied to the operation and replaced the AudiA6 and Dark2Web websites with seizure banners — a standard but effective move that tells visitors the feds are in control. The U.S. is now seeking extradition of both men to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin D. Traster and Sima Kazmir are handling the prosecution. The extradition process from Georgia could take months; Tkachuk and Ledenev will likely fight it. For now, the message is clear: running a mixer that processes hundreds of millions in crypto and openly serving criminals gets you a plane ticket to a federal courtroom.
