Audit log

Every state-changing event for Evita Pay (Iurii Gugnin): moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot taken at submission time, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-06-17 23:13:07Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
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   3f81o1WnjpiW…3Hmkn5UYcopyexplorer ↗

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   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"6e2d529a-dabc-49a1-b43e-55386fa4886c","kind":"publish","page_slug":"evita-pay-iurii-gugnin","published_at":"2026-06-17T23:13:07.503Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Evita Pay (Iurii Gugnin)","sections":[{"content":"On June 9, 2025, a 22-count federal indictment was unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) charging Iurii Gugnin — also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin — with wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering (AML) compliance program, failing to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), money laundering, and related conspiracy charges. Gugnin was arrested on June 9, 2025, arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl, and ordered detained without bail pending trial. Prosecutors cited his alleged ties to Russian intelligence officials and contacts in Iran — nations that do not maintain extradition treaties with the United States — as grounds for detention. The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the FBI New York field office.","heading":"Federal Indictment and Charges","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ EDNY — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS-CI — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/founder-of-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-with-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls-defrauding-financial-institutions-and-violating-the-bank-secrecy-act"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Brooklyn Eagle — Russian National Charged in Federal Court with 22 Counts","type":"news_article","url":"https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/06/09/russian-national-charged-in-federal-court-with-22-counts-of-wire-and-bank-fraud/"}]},{"content":"According to the DOJ indictment, between June 2023 and January 2025, Gugnin allegedly used Evita Investments Inc. and Evita Pay Inc. to move approximately $530 million through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, primarily via the USDT (Tether) stablecoin. Foreign customers — many based in Russia with funds held at sanctioned financial institutions — allegedly provided Gugnin with cryptocurrency, which was then laundered through cryptocurrency wallets and Manhattan-based bank accounts and converted into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies. Gugnin is alleged to have repeatedly misrepresented Evita's business to U.S. financial institutions, claiming it had no Russian clientele and no dealings with sanctioned entities, while in fact the opposite was true. Prosecutors allege Gugnin also maintained personal accounts at two sanctioned Russian banks — JSC Alfa-Bank and PJSC Sberbank — while residing in the United States. The sanctioned Russian financial institutions alleged to have been involved include PJSC Sberbank, PJSC Sovcombank, PJSC VTB Bank, JSC Tinkoff Bank, and JSC Alfa-Bank. The DOJ described Evita as 'a covert pipeline for dirty money,' a characterization attributed to Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg.","heading":"Alleged Scheme: Sanctions Evasion and Money Laundering","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC — Crypto CEO Accused of Laundering $500 Million Linked to Sanctioned Russian Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/crypto-russia-laundering.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OCCRP — Feds: Russian Laundered Half a Billion Through Manhattan Crypto Firms","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/feds-russian-laundered-half-a-billion-through-manhattan-crypto-firms"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Decrypt — Feds Charge Crypto Founder With Evading US Sanctions, Laundering $500M","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/324391/feds-charge-crypto-founder-with-evading-u-s-sanctions-laundering-500m"}]},{"content":"The indictment additionally alleges that Gugnin facilitated the procurement of sensitive, export-controlled U.S. technology on behalf of foreign customers. Specifically, prosecutors allege he helped arrange the purchase of an export-controlled server designed by a U.S. technology company, and laundered funds originating from a Moscow-based supplier to purchase components for Rosatom, Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company. These allegations, if proven, would constitute violations of U.S. export control laws in addition to the IEEPA sanctions charges.","heading":"Export Control Violations and Rosatom Procurement","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Ukrainska Pravda — US Arrests Russian Entrepreneur for Restricted Technology Purchases","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/06/10/7516443/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Finance Magnates — How a $19K Manhattan Apartment Renter Allegedly Moved Half a Billion for Putin's Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/how-a-19k-manhattan-apartment-renter-allegedly-moved-half-a-billion-for-putins-banks/"}]},{"content":"Federal prosecutors allege that Gugnin, who served simultaneously as Evita Investments' President, Treasurer, and self-designated Compliance Officer, systematically failed to implement legally required AML compliance procedures and did not file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) as mandated under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Prosecutors further allege Gugnin doctored more than 80 invoices by digitally erasing the names and addresses of Russian counterparties to obscure the origins of transactions. Evita was registered as a money services business in Florida, but prosecutors allege the Florida registration was itself part of the deception — Gugnin allegedly falsely represented the firm's activities to obtain and maintain that registration while operating as an unlicensed money transmitter.","heading":"AML and Bank Secrecy Act Failures","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Finance Magnates — How a $19K Manhattan Apartment Renter Allegedly Moved Half a Billion for Putin's Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/how-a-19k-manhattan-apartment-renter-allegedly-moved-half-a-billion-for-putins-banks/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinTelegraph — Crypto Exec Ran a Covert Pipeline for Dirty Money, DOJ Says","type":"news_article","url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-founder-charged-laundering-253m-sanctioned-russian-banks"}]},{"content":"Court documents included in the DOJ filing allege that Gugnin conducted internet searches that prosecutors say indicate awareness of criminal exposure. Alleged search terms included 'how to know if there is an investigation against you,' 'evita investments inc. criminal records search,' 'Iurii Gugnin criminal records,' 'money laundering penalties US,' and 'penalties for sanctions violations EU luxury goods.' These searches are cited by prosecutors as evidence of consciousness of guilt.","heading":"Evidence of Consciousness of Guilt","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OCCRP — Feds: Russian Laundered Half a Billion Through Manhattan Crypto Firms","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/feds-russian-laundered-half-a-billion-through-manhattan-crypto-firms"}]},{"content":"Iurii Gugnin, also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, is a Russian citizen who was residing in New York at the time of his arrest. He was approximately 38 years old at the time of the indictment. Gugnin held roles simultaneously as founder, President, Treasurer, and self-appointed Compliance Officer of Evita Investments Inc. In September 2024 — several months before his arrest — Gugnin was profiled by the Wall Street Journal in an article about high-net-worth individuals who chose to rent rather than purchase homes; he was identified as paying approximately $19,000 per month for a Manhattan apartment. Prosecutors alleged at arraignment that Gugnin maintained direct ties to members of Russia's intelligence service and to officials in Iran, countries with no extradition treaty with the United States, a factor cited in arguments for pre-trial detention.","heading":"Defendant Background and Profile","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Finance Magnates — How a $19K Manhattan Apartment Renter Allegedly Moved Half a Billion for Putin's Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/how-a-19k-manhattan-apartment-renter-allegedly-moved-half-a-billion-for-putins-banks/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Brooklyn Eagle — Founder of Crypto Company Charged with Fraud","type":"news_article","url":"https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/06/12/founder-of-crypto-company-charged-with-fraud/"}]},{"content":"If convicted on all counts, Gugnin faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud; up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud, IEEPA violations, money laundering, and related conspiracy charges; up to 10 years for failure to implement an effective AML program and failure to file SARs; and up to five years for conspiracy to defraud the United States and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Note that charges in an indictment are allegations only; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.","heading":"Potential Criminal Penalties","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS-CI — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/founder-of-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-with-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls-defrauding-financial-institutions-and-violating-the-bank-secrecy-act"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ EDNY — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS-CI — Founder of Cryptocurrency Payment Company Charged","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/founder-of-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-with-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls-defrauding-financial-institutions-and-violating-the-bank-secrecy-act"},{"credibility":1,"name":"CNBC — Crypto CEO Accused of Laundering $500 Million Linked to Sanctioned Russian Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/crypto-russia-laundering.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"OCCRP — Feds: Russian Laundered Half a Billion Through Manhattan Crypto Firms","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/feds-russian-laundered-half-a-billion-through-manhattan-crypto-firms"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Decrypt — Feds Charge Crypto Founder With Evading US Sanctions, Laundering $500M","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/324391/feds-charge-crypto-founder-with-evading-u-s-sanctions-laundering-500m"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinTelegraph — Crypto Exec Ran a Covert Pipeline for Dirty Money, DOJ Says","type":"news_article","url":"https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-founder-charged-laundering-253m-sanctioned-russian-banks"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Finance Magnates — How a $19K Manhattan Apartment Renter Allegedly Moved Half a Billion for Putin's Banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/how-a-19k-manhattan-apartment-renter-allegedly-moved-half-a-billion-for-putins-banks/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Brooklyn Eagle — Russian National Charged in Federal Court with 22 Counts of Wire and Bank Fraud","type":"news_article","url":"https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/06/09/russian-national-charged-in-federal-court-with-22-counts-of-wire-and-bank-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Brooklyn Eagle — Founder of Crypto Company Charged with Fraud","type":"news_article","url":"https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/06/12/founder-of-crypto-company-charged-with-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Meduza — U.S. Charges Founder of Crypto Company Evita with Laundering $500 Million for Russian Clients","type":"news_article","url":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/06/10/u-s-charges-founder-of-crypto-company-evita-with-laundering-500-million-for-russian-clients"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Unsealed Indictment — United States v. Gugnin (via Willkie Compliance Concourse)","type":"court_filing","url":"https://complianceconcourse.willkie.com/app/uploads/2025/06/20250609-Unsealed-Indictment-Gugnin.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Ukrainska Pravda — US Arrests Russian Entrepreneur for Restricted Technology Purchases","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/06/10/7516443/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs — From Moscow to Manhattan: How a Crypto Payments Company Allegedly Moved $530M into the US","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/from-moscow-to-manhattan-how-a-crypto-payments-company-allegedly-moved-usd-530-million-into-the-us"}],"summary":"Evita Pay (operating as Evita Investments Inc. and Evita Pay Inc.) was a New York-based cryptocurrency payment company founded by Iurii Gugnin, a Russian national. On June 9, 2025, Gugnin was arrested and charged in a 22-count federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York, alleging he used Evita to funnel approximately $530 million through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges on behalf of clients at sanctioned Russian financial institutions between June 2023 and January 2025. Gugnin was ordered detained pending trial and faces potential sentences of up to 30 years per bank fraud count.","timeline":[{"date":"2023-06-01","event":"Alleged scheme begins: Gugnin allegedly starts using Evita Investments and Evita Pay to route funds from clients at sanctioned Russian banks through U.S. financial institutions via USDT stablecoin (approximate start date per indictment).","source":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"date":"2024-09-01","event":"Gugnin is profiled by the Wall Street Journal in an article on wealthy renters, identified as paying $19,000 per month for a Manhattan apartment.","source":"Finance Magnates","source_url":"https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/how-a-19k-manhattan-apartment-renter-allegedly-moved-half-a-billion-for-putins-banks/"},{"date":"2025-01-31","event":"Alleged scheme ends: the indictment's stated period of criminal activity concludes (approximate end date per indictment).","source":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"date":"2025-06-09","event":"22-count federal indictment against Iurii Gugnin is unsealed in the Eastern District of New York. Gugnin is arrested and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl; he is ordered detained without bail pending trial.","source":"DOJ EDNY and DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls"},{"date":"2025-06-09","event":"IRS-CI and the FBI New York field office are identified as the lead investigative agencies in the DOJ press release.","source":"IRS-CI","source_url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/founder-of-cryptocurrency-payment-company-charged-with-evading-sanctions-and-export-controls-defrauding-financial-institutions-and-violating-the-bank-secrecy-act"},{"date":"2025-06-10","event":"OCCRP, CNBC, Decrypt, CoinTelegraph, Meduza, and other major outlets publish coverage of the charges.","source":"OCCRP","source_url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/feds-russian-laundered-half-a-billion-through-manhattan-crypto-firms"}]},"v":1}

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