Anatoly Legkodymov
Russian national and founder/majority owner of the crypto exchange Bitzlato. Pleaded guilty in December 2023 to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business that processed $700M+ in illicit funds; sentenced in July 2024 to time served.
Also known as: Gandalf, Tolik, Anatolii Legkodymov
Bio
Anatoly Legkodymov (also known as "Gandalf" and "Tolik") is a Russian national who founded and was the majority owner of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato. He was arrested in Miami in January 2023. [1][2]
Legal outcome
In December 2023 he pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, admitting Bitzlato was used as a conduit for the dark web, including the Hydra marketplace. He agreed to dissolve Bitzlato and forfeit roughly $23 million. In July 2024 he was sentenced to time served (about 18 months). [1][2]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Linked scams & cases
Sources (2)
See also
Luke BelmarIndividualsCryptocurrency influencer Luke Belmar (@lukebelmar on X) became the subject of controversy following allegations related to the promotion of a memecoin. Critics on social media alleged that Belmar used a series of posts referencing a forthcoming cryptocurrency project and a large-scale airdrop to generate interest in a token without explicitly identifying a specific contract address. Belmar published multiple posts discussing an upcoming memecoin, describing plans for what he characterized as a major airdrop and making comparisons to other cryptocurrency projects. Because no contract address was publicly provided, several tokens emerged claiming association with his statements. Critics alleged that this ambiguity enabled speculation around multiple tokens while avoiding a direct endorsement of any particular asset.
- 2025 Czech government Bitcoin scandalOtherA political-corruption scandal in which the Czech Ministry of Justice, under minister Pavel Blažek, accepted a donation of 468 bitcoin (~$45M) in early 2025 from Tomáš Jiříkovský, a convicted darknet/drug figure, then sold part of it. After Deník N revealed the deal in May 2025, Blažek resigned, a criminal money-laundering investigation followed, and the government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote.
This page was last updated on Jun 15, 2026. View revision history.