The person at the center of this case
United States financial system and sanctions enforcement
Cold Case · Open - Wanted
2 years waiting · since 2023
ROMAN SEMENOV
Justice for United States financial system and sanctions enforcement — the trail went cold in 2023, but the truth hasn't.
Start here
Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Where is Roman Semenov currently located and what is his current status?
🔍
evidence
Lead #2What specific transactions and wallet addresses link Semenov to the Lazarus Group laundering operations?
👤
person
Lead #3Who are the identified co-conspirators in the Tornado Cash operation and have they been apprehended?
Roman Semenov is wanted by the FBI for his alleged role as a founder of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer service that processed over $1 billion in criminal proceeds. Federal investigators allege that Semenov and his co-conspirators knowingly facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in sanctions-violating transactions for North Korea's Lazarus Group cybercrime organization between 2022 and 2023. A federal arrest warrant was issued in August 2023, and Semenov remains at large with known ties to Turkey, Dubai, and Moscow.
Case
#852
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - United States District Court, Southern District of New York
Try asking
Claim this imported case
A one-time $10 claim transfers this imported case workspace to your account. You get 10 uploads for this case, 25 daily AI questions for this case, and public tips with files route to you.
10 uploads25 AI questions/day
This does not start a subscription. When the included limits are reached, the Personal plan unlocks more workspace capacity.
More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
💡
clue
Lead #4What infrastructure payments and promotional activities can be traced to Semenov's direct involvement?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering; Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business; Conspiracy to Violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act Roman Semenov is wanted for his alleged involvement in criminal activities regarding conspiracy to commit: money laundering, sanctions violations, and money service business violations. Semenov is allegedly one of the founders of the Tornado Cash service, a cryptocurrency mixer that allowed its customers to engage in untraceable transfers of cryptocurrency.
Semenov and his co-conspirators allegedly created the core features of the Tornado Cash service, paid for critical infrastructure to operate the service, promoted the service, and made millions of dollars in profits from operating the service. The Tornado Cash service was ultimately used to launder more than $1 billion in criminal proceeds.
In April and May of 2022, the Tornado Cash service was allegedly used by the Lazarus Group, a sanctioned North Korean cybercrime organization, to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in hacking proceeds. Semenov and his co-conspirators allegedly knew that the Tornado Cash service they were operating was engaging in these sanctions-violating transactions.
They allegedly continued to operate the Tornado Cash service and facilitate hundreds of millions of dollars in further sanctions-violating transactions, helping the Lazarus Group to transfer criminal proceeds from a cryptocurrency wallet that had been designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control as blocked property. A federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, New York, New York, on August 21, 2023, after Semenov was charged federally with Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering; Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business; and Conspiracy to Violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Remarks: Semenov has ties to Turkey; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Moscow, Russia.
Timeline of Events
📋
2022-04-01
Lazarus Group sanctions violations begin
Tornado Cash service allegedly used by North Korean Lazarus Group to launder hundreds of millions in hacking proceeds
🕵️
2023-08-21
Federal arrest warrant issued
Roman Semenov charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, operating unlicensed money transmitting business, and violating International Emergency Economic Powers Act
Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case
Case Information
Incident:April 1, 2022
Last Updated:June 15, 2026
Leave a comment
Comments
Case Information
Incident:April 1, 2022
Last Updated:June 15, 2026