Brother of Helix founder Larry Harmon pleads guilty to stealing confiscated 712 BTC

The brother of the founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Helix, Larry Harmon, convicted of money laundering, pleaded guilty to stealing more than 712 bitcoins previously confiscated by the US government. Gary James Harmon, a 31-year-old Ohio resident, admitted to having embezzled cryptocurrencies that were confiscated from his brother Larry Harmon during a criminal prosecution.. According to court documents, in February 2020, Larry Harmon was arrested for money laundering through the Helix service, through which more than 350,000 bitcoins were laundered.. At the time of the transactions, they were valued at more than $300 million, with the largest amount of these funds coming from darknet sites. In August 2021, Larry Harmon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money.. During the arrest, law enforcement seized various assets from him, including a device for storing bitcoins, but could not gain access to them. Gary Harmon used his brother's credentials to secretly transfer over 712 BTC to his address, thwarting an upcoming crypto asset seizure. At the same time, he used two services for mixing. He spent part of the stolen funds on major purchases and personal expenses. Gary Harmon agreed to confiscate property purchased with stolen funds and cryptocurrencies, in particular, 647.41 BTC, 2.14 ETH and 17,404,400.64 DOGE. Larry Harmon's brother charged with obstruction of justice and misconduct using electronic communications. Each of these counts carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.. The court has scheduled sentencing for March 17, 2023. This fall, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Larry Harmon for failing to pay a $60 million civil fine imposed in 2020 by the U.S. Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN).