A U.S. court has sentenced Roman Sterlingov, the operator of the cryptocurrency mixer Bitcoin Fog, to 12.5 years in prison for laundering over $400 million in digital assets between 2011 and 2021.

In March, a jury found Sterlingov guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and two counts related to operating an unlicensed money transfer service. Sterlingov disagreed with the court’s decision.

On November 8, during hearings, he expressed regret for the “possible harm” caused by his actions and promised to “become better,” as reported by Bloomberg. In addition to his prison sentence, Sterlingov was ordered to pay $395.5 million and forfeit his share of the Bitcoin Fog wallet, worth 1,345 BTC (~$103 million). His cryptocurrencies totaling $1.76 million were also confiscated.

“Roman Sterlingov ran one of the longest-operating money laundering services, and today he has received his due. In the darkest corners of the internet, he provided a safe haven for criminals of all kinds, from drug dealers to identity thieves, helping them preserve hundreds of millions of illegally obtained dollars,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

It’s worth noting that in May, Alexey Percev, the developer of Tornado Cash, was found guilty of laundering $1.2 billion through the mixer and sentenced to 64 months in prison.

In November, the trial of Bitcoin Fog co-founder Roman Storm was postponed to April 14, 2025.

Money laundering and sanctions violation charges were also filed against another co-founder of the mixer, Roman Semenov. He remains free but has been added to the sanctions lists.