Cryptocurrency Worth $1.5M Seized From Former Ukrainian Head of State Communications

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has seized $1.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from Yuriy Shchigol, Ukraine’s former head of the State Special Communications Service, according to local news outlet RBC.

The seizure, which involved $1.2 million worth of tether (USDT) and 6.9 bitcoin (BTC), was supported by the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine.

Schigol and his deputy, Viktor Zhor, allegedly siphoned state money allocated to purchasing equipment and software before converting the proceeds to cryptocurrency.

The scheme was facilitated by several companies that attempted to keep the crypto conversions a secret.

Shchigol has reportedly been taken into custody as a preventative measure, law enforcement said.

In 2020, Ukrainian police arrested a hacker accused of selling personal data, including crypto wallet information. Two years before that, police swooped in and arrested four Ukrainian citizens for operating a fraudulent crypto exchange.