PANews reported on June 10 that according to The Block, the U.S. Department of Justice indictment revealed that Iurii Gugnin, a Russian man and New York resident, was indicted for allegedly laundering $530 million through the cryptocurrency company Evita. Prosecutors accused him of mainly using USDT stablecoins to transfer funds for overseas users, including sanctioned Russian bank customers, from June 2023 to January 2025, and completing money laundering operations through Manhattan bank accounts.

Gugnin, 38, founder and compliance officer of Evita, was charged with 22 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The Assistant Attorney General for National Security pointed out that he turned encryption companies into "secret channels for illegal funds" and helped sanctioned Russian banks obtain sensitive American technology. If convicted of bank fraud, each count could carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.