On August 14, 2025, the Department of Justice announced that it unsealed six warrants “authorizing the seizure of over $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, $70,000 in cash, and a luxury vehicle.” According to the press release, “all of the cryptocurrency was seized from a cryptocurrency wallet controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, who is charged by indictment in the Northern District of Texas for conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse, computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.”

The indictment alleges that Antropenko used the Zeppelin ransomware to attack businesses worldwide, including in the United States, to encrypt and exfiltrate victims’ data, and then demand a ransom to decrypt the data, suppress its publication and delete the data. Bringing a ransomware operator down is rare and worth celebrating.