US Charges Gotbit Founder in Multi-Million Crypto Scam

He was arrested in Portugal on October 8, 2024, and extradited to the United States on February 25, 2025.

According to the February 26 statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, he appeared in a Boston federal court, where a judge ruled that he would remain in detention while the case proceeds.

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Andriunin, a Russian citizen, is facing serious charges alongside two Gotbit executives, Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili. The three were indicted by a US grand jury on October 31. Their involvement allegedly came to light when the FBI launched NexFundAI (NEXF), a fake crypto token designed to expose fraudulent trading practices.

Prosecutors say Gotbit’s business revolved around artificially inflating trading activity. The company reportedly used software to execute wash trades, making it seem like certain tokens had high demand.

Investigators estimate that Gotbit made tens of millions of dollars from these activities between 2018 and 2024. Andriunin himself is accused of transferring some of the proceeds into his Binance $13.89B account.

Andriunin could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, along with a fine that could reach $250,000. Additional conspiracy charges related to market manipulation could add another five years to his sentence.

Recently, Zservers, a Russia-based hosting provider, received penalties from authorities in the US, UK, and Australia. Why? Read the full story.