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

Russia has sentenced Marat Tambiyev, a former mid-ranking investigator, to 16 years in jail after he was caught accepting a bribe of 1,032 bitcoins, which is currently worth around $65 million, from hackers he was investigating.

The bribe originated from members of the Infraud Organization hacking group, which Tambiyev was tasked with probing while working for the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR).

Russia’s Bribery Scandal

Tambiev has been with the ICR since 2011, taking on key responsibilities in various investigative departments across the country. Before his downfall, he rose through the ranks to become the head of the investigative division in Moscow’s Tverskoy district. The disgraced officer allegedly received a significant bribe on April 7, 2022, from the hacking group.

According to a lawsuit filed in the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow, Tambiev accepted the BTC bribe on the condition that the group’s illegal assets would not be confiscated, which allowed two of its members – Kirill Samokutyaevsky and Konstantin Bergmanov – to avoid prison.

When the bribe was first uncovered in early 2023, the 1,032 bitcoins were worth 1.6 billion rubles, surpassing Russia’s previous bribery record of 1.4 billion rubles, which had been paid in installments.

A search of Tambiev’s Moscow apartment led to the discovery of an Apple MacBook Pro, which investigators eventually accessed several months later. Inside, they found a folder labeled “Pension,” which contained keys to two online wallets holding a total of 1,032 bitcoins. The stash was seized and transferred to a Ledger Nano X hardware wallet.

Tambiyev maintained his innocence, claiming that he was set up and that his actions had helped the state recover some of the funds associated with criminal activities. In connection with the same case, Kristina Lyakhovenko, a subordinate of Tambiyev, was sentenced to nine years in prison. Both defendants’ legal representatives announced plans to file appeals.

Besides, in 2021, two Infraud members – Sergey Medvedev of Russia and Marko Leopard of North Macedonia – were sentenced to five to ten years in US federal prison for trafficking stolen personal data, credit card details, malware, and other illegal goods.

Mass Arrests in Russia

Despite warming up to the crypto industry after imposing a blanket ban in 2022, Russia has maintained a cautious stance and has engaged in several investigations related to illicit use. Recently, nearly 100 suspected cybercriminals linked to the anonymous payment system UAPS and cryptocurrency exchange Cryptex were arrested by the authorities.

These individuals were involved in illegal activities, including money laundering and the sale of bank cards. The US Treasury Department reported that Cryptex has processed over $51 million from ransomware attacks and more than $720 million in transactions associated with services frequently used by Russian cybercriminals, including mixing services and the sanctioned exchange Garantex.