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
- Blockchain Terminal (BCT)TokensA 2017–2018 ICO (BCT tokens, ~$30M) for a 'Blockchain Terminal' — a Bloomberg-style crypto trading terminal. The SEC and DOJ said convicted ex-hedge-funder Boaz Manor secretly ran it under a fake identity ('Shaun MacDonald'), using associate Edith Pardo as a front, and lied about the product's adoption.
- Dropil (DROP)TokensAn ICO for the DROP token built around a fake 'Dex' trading bot. The SEC said it raised ~$1.9M while claiming $54M from 34,000 investors, and that the founders falsified evidence during the probe. Founders Jeremy McAlpine and Zachary Matar pleaded guilty to securities fraud (36 and 30 months).
- CluCoin (CLU)Tokens
This page was last updated on Jun 8, 2026. View revision history.