Analysis by the crypto analytics firm showed that all the bitcoin bribes originated from the coin mixing wallet.Read MoreCoinDesk
The two Chinese intelligence officers charged with obstructing justice for allegedly bribing a U.S. double agent with $61,000 in bitcoin used coin mixing wallet Wasabi to try to cover their tracks, analytics firm Elliptic found.
“Elliptic’s analysis shows that all of the Bitcoin bribe payments made by the Chinese intelligence agents originated from Wasabi Wallet,” Elliptic said.
Wasabi makes use of controversial technology known as CoinJoin, which mixes bitcoin from multiple transactions to try to obscure its ownership.
Elliptic has shown in the past that Wasabi was used to try to launder bitcoin from high-profile hacks of Twitter, as well as of crypto exchanges Bitfinex and KuCoin.
The two Chinese officers are charged with seeking to gain confidential information in a federal investigation into the practices of what is believed to be Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies.
They repeatedly referred to the use of bitcoin as a “safe” method of making the bribery payments, according to the indictment.
DISCLOSURE
Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Bitcoin Development Company MicroStrategy (MSTR) added 55,500 of the largest cryptocurrency for $5.4 billion, bringing…
Starting next Monday, First Mover Americas will become Crypto Daybook Americas, your new morning briefing…
What does the ragtag group including a fitness equipment maker, biopharmaceutical company and producer of…
After a prolonged downtrend relative to bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum's ether (ETH) is showing signs of…
A bitcoin (BTC)-led crypto market correction continued into its third day as the asset lost…
Bitcoin's (BTC) much-anticipated breakout above $100,000 remains out of reach, with prices retreating to $94,500…