A former high-ranking Russian investigator, Marat Tambiyev, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting a staggering $65 million Bitcoin bribe from a hacking group he was investigating. Tambiyev, who once headed the investigative division in Moscow’s Tverskoy district, received the bribe in exchange for protecting the group’s members from prosecution.
The bribe, worth over 1,000 Bitcoin at the time, was offered by members of the Infraud Organization, a hacking group Tambiyev was tasked with investigating while working for the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR). In exchange for the bribe, Tambiyev agreed to help the group avoid asset seizure and potential imprisonment for its members, Kirill Samokutyaevsky and Konstantin Bergmanov.
Tambiyev’s actions were exposed in early 2023, leading to a massive investigation. Authorities discovered the Bitcoin stash on a Ledger Nano X hardware wallet in Tambiyev’s apartment. Despite maintaining his innocence, Tambiyev was found guilty and sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Russia in combating cybercrime and corruption. While the country has taken steps to regulate the cryptocurrency industry, cases like Tambiyev’s underscore the potential for abuse and misuse of digital assets.