Bitcoin Launderer Sentenced to Three Years, Forfeits $400M

Larry Dean Harmon, operator of the Helix mixer, pleads guilty to laundering over $300 million via darknet markets.

Larry Dean Harmon, 41, from Akron, Ohio, operated the Helix Bitcoin mixer, laundering funds for darknet drug markets.
Helix processed approximately 354,468 bitcoins, worth around $311 million at the time of transactions, from 2014 to 2017.
Harmon was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to money laundering charges in August 2021.
He agreed to forfeit over $400 million in assets, including cryptocurrencies, real estate, and bank holdings.
The case was investigated by the IRS and FBI, with assistance from international authorities, highlighting a crackdown on cryptocurrency money-laundering networks.