Audit log

Every state-changing event for E-Note: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions are designed to carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key. Archive coverage is still being backfilled, so each decision below reports its own snapshot status rather than assuming one exists.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-10-09 12:27:08Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 454,866,165

   sig

   2QEXGJyfUsZo…tRHM4RsXcopyexplorer ↗

   hash

   BxXowgU7snZQ…iJ42DrwGcopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (12278 B) ▸

   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"b32e0716-0969-42ae-962c-426b5418a7ab","kind":"publish","page_slug":"e-note","published_at":"2026-10-09T12:27:08.095Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"E-Note","sections":[{"content":"On December 17, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced a coordinated international operation that disrupted E-Note, described as an unlicensed virtual currency exchange and payment-processing service. The operation involved the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Michigan State Police (including its Michigan Cyber Command Center), the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. Authorities seized E-Note's servers, mobile applications, and three domains: e-note.com, e-note.ws, and jabb.mn. Investigators stated they had also separately obtained earlier copies of E-Note's servers, including customer databases and transaction records, which they said would aid further investigations into users of the service.","heading":"Law Enforcement Takedown","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI disrupts virtual currency exchanges used to facilitate criminal activity (DOJ, USAO-EDMI)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/fbi-disrupts-virtual-currency-exchanges-used-facilitate-criminal-activity"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI Seizes Crypto Exchange Allegedly Used to Launder $70M From Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Michigan e-note crypto exchange takedown ransomware money laundering indictment (CyberScoop)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberscoop.com/michigan-e-note-crypto-exchange-takedown-ransomware-money-laundering-indictment/"}]},{"content":"Prosecutors allege that, beginning around 2017, E-Note and an associated international money-mule network were used to launder more than $70 million in illicit proceeds generated by ransomware attacks, account takeovers, and other cyber-enabled crimes. Reporting indicates that some of the underlying crimes allegedly targeted U.S. healthcare systems and critical infrastructure organizations. According to the unsealed indictment, the operator allegedly began offering informal, mule-based laundering services to cybercriminals as early as 2010, later formalizing and scaling the operation into the online exchange branded E-Note. The Register reported that E-Note allegedly operated with little to no anti-money-laundering controls, in contrast to regulated exchanges. These are allegations contained in a criminal indictment and have not been proven in court.","heading":"Alleged Role in Laundering Ransomware and Account-Takeover Proceeds","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI Seizes Crypto Exchange Allegedly Used to Launder $70M From Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Michigan e-note crypto exchange takedown ransomware money laundering indictment (CyberScoop)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberscoop.com/michigan-e-note-crypto-exchange-takedown-ransomware-money-laundering-indictment/"}]},{"content":"Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, 39, a Russian national alleged to have controlled and operated E-Note. The indictment, reported to have been originally filed in September 2025, charges Chudnovets with one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, an offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. According to court documents cited by Decrypt, the indictment alleges Chudnovets \"worked with financially motivated cybercriminals to transfer criminal proceeds across international borders\" and that, since approximately 2017, he offered these services through the online business known as E-Note. Authorities did not indicate that Chudnovets has been arrested or is in U.S. custody, and reporting suggests he may remain in Russia and at large. Under the presumption of innocence, the charges against him are allegations that have not been adjudicated.","heading":"Indictment of Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI Seizes Crypto Exchange Allegedly Used to Launder $70M From Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Michigan e-note crypto exchange takedown ransomware money laundering indictment (CyberScoop)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberscoop.com/michigan-e-note-crypto-exchange-takedown-ransomware-money-laundering-indictment/"}]},{"content":"E-Note is described in reporting as an unlicensed virtual currency exchange and payment-processing service that maintained a low public profile; Decrypt reported that several blockchain crime researchers it contacted said they were unfamiliar with the service prior to the takedown. An archived version of E-Note's website, viewed via the Wayback Machine, referenced an entity called \"E Note International FZ-LLC,\" a company structure type commonly associated with United Arab Emirates free zones, though this has not been independently confirmed as the service's registered operator. Because E-Note operated without apparent licensing or anti-money-laundering controls, users of residual E-Note-branded services, apps, or mule networks following the takedown should treat any such continuing activity as high-risk and potentially tied to law enforcement seizure notices or impersonation.","heading":"Operational Profile and Unregulated Status","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI Seizes Crypto Exchange Allegedly Used to Launder $70M From Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"}]},{"content":"As of the most recent available reporting, the criminal case against Chudnovets remains open. He has not been reported arrested or in U.S. custody, and no trial date, plea, or extradition proceeding has been publicly reported. The charge against him is a conspiracy to launder monetary instruments carrying a statutory maximum of 20 years' imprisonment; final disposition of the case, including whether he will ever be apprehended or tried, is unresolved.","heading":"Status of Legal Proceedings","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Michigan e-note crypto exchange takedown ransomware money laundering indictment (CyberScoop)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberscoop.com/michigan-e-note-crypto-exchange-takedown-ransomware-money-laundering-indictment/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI disrupts virtual currency exchanges used to facilitate criminal activity (DOJ, USAO-EDMI)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/fbi-disrupts-virtual-currency-exchanges-used-facilitate-criminal-activity"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI Seizes Crypto Exchange Allegedly Used to Launder $70M From Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI dismantles alleged $70M crypto laundering operation (The Register)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Michigan e-note crypto exchange takedown ransomware money laundering indictment (CyberScoop)","type":"news_article","url":"https://cyberscoop.com/michigan-e-note-crypto-exchange-takedown-ransomware-money-laundering-indictment/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US seizes E-Note crypto exchange for laundering ransomware payments (BleepingComputer)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-seizes-e-note-crypto-exchange-for-laundering-ransomware-payments/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US shuts down crypto exchange E-Note, charges Russian administrator (SecurityWeek)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.securityweek.com/us-shuts-down-crypto-exchange-e-note-charges-russian-administrator/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI takes down alleged money laundering operation (The Record)","type":"news_article","url":"https://therecord.media/fbi-takes-down-alleged-money-laundering-operation"}],"summary":"E-Note was an unlicensed online virtual currency exchange and payment-processing service that U.S. and European authorities allege served as a money-laundering conduit for ransomware gangs and account-takeover crews. In December 2025, the FBI, Michigan State Police, the German Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation seized E-Note's servers, mobile apps, and domains, and prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan unsealed an indictment alleging the service moved more than $70 million in illicit proceeds between 2017 and the takedown. A Russian national, Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets, was charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; he remains at large and the allegations against him are unproven pending trial.","timeline":[{"date":"2010","event":"Mykhalio Petrovich Chudnovets allegedly began offering informal, mule-based money-laundering services to cybercriminals, according to the indictment.","source":"Decrypt / CyberScoop reporting on the unsealed indictment","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"date":"2017","event":"Prosecutors allege Chudnovets began formally offering laundering services through the online business E-Note; the $70 million in alleged illicit proceeds is counted from this point.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"date":"2025-09","event":"A federal grand jury indictment against Chudnovets was filed under seal in the Eastern District of Michigan, according to reporting on the later unsealing.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"date":"2025-12-17","date_evidence":"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced the action Wednesday (Dec 17, 2025).","event":"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced the seizure of E-Note's servers, mobile apps, and domains (e-note.com, e-note.ws, jabb.mn), and unsealed the indictment against Chudnovets.","source":"Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/352887/fbi-seizes-crypto-exchange-allegedly-used-to-launder-70m-from-ransomware-attacks"},{"date":"2025-12-18","date_evidence":"published Thu 18 Dec 2025, 13:52 UTC","event":"Wider press coverage of the takedown, including The Register and Decrypt, reported details of the operation and indictment.","source":"The Register","source_url":"https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/18/e_note_takedown/"}]},"v":1}

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