Russian Investigator Sentenced to 16 Years for Accepting $65M Bitcoin Bribe from Hackers

Russia has handed down a 16-year prison sentence to former investigator Marat Tambiyev for accepting a bribe of 1,032 bitcoins, worth approximately $65 million, from hackers he was investigating. Tambiyev, who worked for the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR), received the bribe from members of the Infraud Organization hacking group, whom he was tasked with probing. The bribe allowed two members of the group to avoid prison by ensuring their illegal assets would not be confiscated. Tambiyev, who worked with the ICR since 2011, rose through the ranks before becoming the head of the investigative division in Moscow. The discovery of the bribe, which exceeded Russia’s previous bribery record, led to the seizure of the bitcoins and their transfer to a hardware wallet. Despite maintaining his innocence, Tambiyev was found guilty, and his subordinate, Kristina Lyakhovenko, was sentenced to nine years in prison in connection with the same case. In recent years, Russia has made efforts to combat illicit activities in the cryptocurrency industry, including arresting individuals involved in money laundering and illegal transactions.