Russian wanted in US caught in Greece for money laundering

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek authorities say they have arrested a Russian man wanted in the United States on suspicion of masterminding a money laundering operation involving at least $4 billion through bitcoin transactions.

Police said Wednesday they arrested the 38-year-old, who has not been officially named, the previous morning in northern Greece in co-operation with US authorities, and seized electronic equipment from his hotel room.

The man has been accused of laundering an estimated $4 billion since 2011 by using the online bitcoin currency. Greek police said he had been directing a criminal organization that owns, operates and manages “one of the largest cybercrime websites in the world.”