The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions against Ekaterina Zhdanova on Friday. Zhdanova, a Russian national, allegedly laundered money for ransomware organizations and Russian elites.
OFAC stated that Zhdanova maintained access to the international financial system through transactions with traditional luxury businesses on behalf of her clients. She leveraged this connection to conduct virtual currency exchange transfers, maintain connections with other money launderers, and operate fraudulent accounts. OFAC detailed a 2021 incident where Zhdanova laundered $2.3 million of suspected ransom payments for a Ryuk ransomware affiliate. Threat actors used this malware, now known as Conti, to target thousands of global victims and steal over $150 million in early 2021. OFAC also noted that Zhdanova assisted numerous Russian oligarchs in transferring their wealth to external countries amidst sanctions against Russia. These sanctions will prevent Zhdanova from accessing property and interests in the US, as well as conducting transactions with US entities and individuals.
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