Gotbit / Vortex / Contrarian / Antier Wash-Trading Ring
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anchored·NKEn8x…yvw5Summary
A multi-firm criminal enterprise spanning four crypto market-making companies — Gotbit, Vortex, Contrarian, and Antier Solutions — was dismantled through a coordinated FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation undercover operation known as Operation Token Mirrors. Ten executives and employees across the four firms were indicted between March and September 2025 in the Northern District of California on charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for orchestrating wash-trading and pump-and-dump schemes against retail investors. Gotbit founder Aleksei Andriunin was separately convicted in the District of Massachusetts, sentenced to eight months in prison, and his firm was ordered to forfeit $23 million in cryptocurrency; as of mid-2026 additional defendants remain in active criminal proceedings.
Connected Entities
1 entities- + 8 more
Timeline(18 events)
2018
Alleged wash-trading operations begin at Gotbit Consulting LLC; conduct across all four firms alleged to span 2018 through 2024.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release18 July 2019
Gotbit founder Aleksei Andriunin admits in a CoinDesk interview that his business is 'not entirely ethical,' describing how artificial bot trading generates volume for CoinMarketCap listings.
CoinDesk — For $15K, He'll Fake Your Exchange VolumeMay 2024
FBI creates NexFundAI, an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, as part of the undercover Operation Token Mirrors sting to lure crypto market makers.
CoinTelegraph — NexFundAI Explained8 October 2024
Gotbit founder Aleksei Andriunin arrested in Portugal at the request of the United States.
BeInCrypto — Gotbit Founder Extradited9 October 2024
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts unseals charges against 18 individuals and entities including Gotbit, CLS Global, ZM Quant, MyTrade, and Saitama LLC as part of the first wave of Operation Token Mirrors enforcement. Over $25 million in cryptocurrency seized.
Decrypt — Feds Charge Gotbit, Others With Market Manipulation25 February 2025
Aleksei Andriunin extradited from Portugal to the United States; appears before Boston federal court.
CoinDesk — Gotbit Founder Pleads Guilty20 March 2025
Aleksei Andriunin pleads guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation; agrees to forfeit approximately $23 million in stablecoins.
CoinDesk — Gotbit Founder Pleads Guilty25 March 2025
Federal grand jury in San Francisco indicts Gotbit employees Antoine Tsao, Ian Sofronov, and Nemanja Popov on wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges.
IRS Criminal Investigation press releaseApril 2025
CLS Global FZC LLC pleads guilty to manipulating the NexFundAI decoy token and is fined $428,059; confirmed as second crypto market maker convicted for wash trading.
Decrypt — Gotbit Founder Sentenced to Prison2 June 2025
Antoine Tsao sentenced; 1.2 million USDT seized from Tsao's account under a forfeiture order.
TRM Labs — Ten Fraudsters ChargedJune 2025
Aleksei Andriunin sentenced to eight months in prison and one year of supervised release; Gotbit Consulting LLC sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to cease operations; $23 million in cryptocurrency forfeited.
Decrypt — Gotbit Founder Sentenced28 August 2025
Federal grand jury in Oakland indicts Vortex CEO Gleb Gora, CFO Sergei Ryzhkov, and Business Development Manager Michael Vogel on wire fraud charges.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release4 September 2025
Federal grand jury in Oakland indicts Contrarian CEO Manu Singh, CFO Kushagra Srivastava, Business Development Associate Vasu Sharma, and Antier Solutions employee Sabby Singh on wire fraud charges.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release2 October 2025
Gleb Gora (Vortex CEO), Manu Singh (Contrarian CEO), and Vasu Sharma (Contrarian) arrested in Singapore at the request of the United States.
The Star — Three Crypto Employees Arrested in Singapore10 February 2026
Nemanja Popov (Gotbit Account Manager) pleads guilty and is sentenced.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release30 March 2026
Three indictments across Gotbit, Vortex, and Contrarian/Antier unsealed publicly in the Northern District of California.
TRM Labs — Ten Fraudsters ChargedApril 2026
Gleb Gora (Vortex), Manu Singh (Contrarian), and Vasu Sharma (Contrarian) make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Oakland following extradition from Singapore.
CoinTelegraph — DOJ Brings 10 Alleged Crypto Market Manipulators to Oakland CourtDecision Log
- hash: C9hrNig1bEP5dnZs5Hos5zfFqS9Z397cQFEtusEyK28g
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (1 event). 17 of 17 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 6/15/2026, 5:15:08 PM
last updated: 7/26/2026, 11:10:24 PM
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