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Aleksei Andriunin, founder and CEO of crypto market maker Gotbit, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for his role in a multi-million-dollar wash trading scheme that inflated trading volumes for various cryptocurrencies. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley in Boston, following Andriunin’s guilty plea in March 2025 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation. The 26-year-old, a dual citizen of Russia and Portugal, was arrested in Portugal in October 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in February 2025. As part of a plea agreement, Andriunin agreed to forfeit $23 million in stablecoins held in crypto wallets linked to Gotbit. Gotbit Consulting LLC, the firm he founded, was also sentenced to five years’ probation and is required to cease operations. The company admitted to offering wash trading services between 2018 and 2024, manipulating trading volumes to help client tokens appear more active and gain listings on exchanges and CoinMarketCap. Prosecutors said Gotbit used multiple accounts to avoid blockchain detection and received tens of millions of dollars in client payments for these services. Tokens involved in the scheme included Robo Inu and Saitama. Company directors Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili were also indicted. Gotbit is the third crypto market maker charged in relation to illegal trading practices, following actions against MyTrade and CLS Global, according to the Justice Department. The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a separate civil enforcement action against Gotbit for securities law violations. As part of his sentence, Andriunin will also serve one year of supervised release and is barred from crypto-related activity during that period.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed on March 27 that it is pursuing civil forfeiture of approximately $23 million in digital assets following a guilty plea from Gotbit Consulting LLC and its founder, Aleksei Andriunin. The DOJ’s move follows criminal proceedings where the Boston-based federal court accepted Gotbit’s admission of manipulating trading activity on behalf of cryptocurrency clients. The firm, which operates as a market maker in the digital asset sector, allegedly engaged in schemes to fabricate trading volumes, misleading investors about liquidity and demand. As part of its resolution with the federal government, Gotbit agreed to surrender the crypto holdings linked to these activities. In its announcement, the DOJ stated: The government seized USDT (tether) and USDC (circle) from un-hosted cryptocurrency wallets controlled by Gotbit Consulting LLC. Tether and circle are stablecoins, meaning their value is tied to the U.S. dollar. The government claims the assets represent proceeds of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as property involved in unlawful transactions. These allegations are currently part of a civil forfeiture complaint and have not been adjudicated. Andriunin, a 26-year-old dual citizen of Russia and Portugal, was arrested abroad in October 2024 and extradited to the U.S. in February 2025. Prosecutors said that between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit operated a wash trading scheme, using custom-built software and multiple accounts to simulate trading activity and manipulate token prices. Tokens such as Robo Inu and Saitama, which were among Gotbit’s clients, are now under separate investigation. As part of the plea deal, Gotbit agreed to shut down all operations and forfeit the $23 million. The DOJ stated: “Pursuant to the plea agreement with Andriunin, the government will recommend a sentence of up to two years in prison.” 免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。

federal prosecutors have charged two purported market makers, several crypto projects, and over a dozen individuals with manipulating various crypto markets. The charges allege that these entities profited from fees and selling manipulated coins at elevated values. The charging documents, unsealed on Wednesday, reveal that Gotbit and ZM Quant engaged in wash trading of various tokens to create the illusion of legitimate activity. They sold these tokens at artificially inflated prices, marketed them on various platforms, and convinced exchanges to allow them to buy tokens with reduced fees. Prosecutors claim that both Gotbit and ZM Quant publicly presented themselves as legitimate market makers offering legal services, while privately providing illegal services, including wash trading. In Gotbit’s case, the illegal activities were not entirely private. In 2019, Gotbit co-founder Alexey Andryunin, then a 20-year-old college sophomore, explained to CoinDesk how the wash trading services worked. He admitted that Gotbit was not registered in any jurisdiction because it was “not entirely ethical.” ZM Quant was registered in the British Virgin Islands, but its employees named in the indictment were based in Hong Kong. Gotbit's employees are believed to be Russian. The manipulated tokens included Robo Inu, which saw a price increase after the indictment was unsealed. Other named defendants include VZZN, NextFundAI, and Saitama. According to the indictments, each token, including Robo Inu, is classified as a security. Several individuals behind these projects, including Robo Inu founder Vy Pham, have also been named as defendants. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled parallel civil charges against Gotbit and its employee director Fedor Kedrov, a Russian resident.

According to CoinDesk, federal prosecutors have charged two purported market makers, several crypto projects, and over a dozen individuals with manipulating various crypto markets. The charges allege that these entities profited from fees and selling manipulated coins at elevated values. The charging documents, unsealed on Wednesday, reveal that Gotbit and ZM Quant engaged in wash trading of various tokens to create the illusion of legitimate activity. They sold these tokens at artificially inflated prices, marketed them on various platforms, and convinced exchanges to allow them to buy tokens with reduced fees. Prosecutors claim that both Gotbit and ZM Quant publicly presented themselves as legitimate market makers offering legal services, while privately providing illegal services, including wash trading. In Gotbit’s case, the illegal activities were not entirely private. In 2019, Gotbit co-founder Alexey Andryunin, then a 20-year-old college sophomore, explained to CoinDesk how the wash trading services worked. He admitted that Gotbit was not registered in any jurisdiction because it was “not entirely ethical.” ZM Quant was registered in the British Virgin Islands, but its employees named in the indictment were based in Hong Kong. Gotbit's employees are believed to be Russian. The manipulated tokens included Robo Inu, which saw a price increase after the indictment was unsealed. Other named defendants include VZZN, NextFundAI, and Saitama. According to the indictments, each token, including Robo Inu, is classified as a security. Several individuals behind these projects, including Robo Inu founder Vy Pham, have also been named as defendants. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled parallel civil charges against Gotbit and its employee director Fedor Kedrov, a Russian resident.