According to the latest report, Anatoly Legkodymov, co-founder of crypto platform Bitzlato, has officially requested a pardon from United States President Donald Trump. Legkodymov, a Russian national, was arrested and charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business through his cryptocurrency platform, Bitzlato.
Reports suggest that the French authorities are trying to extradite Legkodymov to face similar charges of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The Russian engineer faces up to 20 years in France for allowing the transfer of significant funds connected to cyber crimes and attacks.
Melnikov told the Russian outlet:
Anatoly is not a criminal; he became a target in a political campaign against the crypto market and talented Russian programmers. His decision to ask for a pardon is based on the hope that the US will return to a more balanced and fair approach to digital finance, and that the US and Russia will gradually build dialogue.
This request might be more strategic than random, considering that Trump has issued roughly 58 presidential pardons since taking the Oval Office in January. Notably, the US President pardoned the Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was facing two life sentences in federal prison.
Ross Ulbricht is only one of numerous crypto figures to have received federal pardons from Trump in the past few months. Four former executives of crypto exchange BitMEX, namely Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, Gregory Dwyer, and Samuel Reed, also received pardons from the president.
