The Bitzlato crypto exchange’s former co-founder is appealing to the cryptocurrency community for assistance in locating US citizens willing to act as his guarantors in court.
The Russian national has been in US custody for the past two months, awaiting trial on money laundering charges. On March 23, Legkodymov requested assistance from the community via the media.
His lawyers explained that under US law, a defendant with guarantors can be released from prison pending a trial verdict.
Legkodymov’s associates are urging members of the cryptocurrency community to come forward to aid him in obtaining bail until the trial concludes, citing his reputation as a decent, law-abiding person.
Anatoly Legkodymov has been active on the Bitcointalk.org and Bits.media forums since 2011 and 2016, respectively. Alongside his partners, he developed Bitzlato as a
Telegram-cryptocurrency exchange called ChangeBot in the mid-1910s.
Over the years, the project grew into “a single crypto platform that includes an exchange, a p2p exchanger, a mining pool and secure wallets.” However, on January 18, 2023, Bitzlato ceased operations after the co-founder’s detention became public knowledge.
The crypto exchange, accused by foreign law enforcement officials of money laundering, announced on March 1 that depositors could start withdrawing funds.