The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) finalized the forfeiture of USD 400 million from the Helix darknet crypto mixer, including real estate, monetary assets, and crypto. The order, signed on January 21, by Judge Beryl A. Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia, follows the 2024 prison sentencing of its operator and concludes a years-long investigation into the laundering service.
How the Helix Darknet Crypto Mixer Operated
Helix, a darknet crypto mixing service, or better known as a crypto laundering platform, pooled users’ funds, for example, into darknet global drug markets, and routed them through complex transactions to obscure their origin and destination. During the period 2014 to 2017, over 354,468 Bitcoins ($300 million at some point in time) were processed by the Helix mixer service provider and its operator, Larry Dean Harmon, providing direct operations into the darknet marketplaces through Application Programming Interface (API) integration for vendors to use to “clean” proceeds of crimes executed, for which he took a commission.
Why this Forfeiture is Significant for the Ecosystem
The huge amount of forfeitures attached to this impressive case demonstrates to operators of privacy-enhancing services (like the Helix darknet crypto mixer) that they will be held accountable for their actions when they knowingly help facilitate crime.
Also, this multi-million dollar forfeiture shows the U.S. Government’s ability to trace and seize crypto assets years after the original transaction. Last but not least, this case serves as a warning to developers who create or build tools that are directly connected to illegal online marketplaces, as the DOJ seeks to eliminate the economic foundation of the dark web and dissuade operators of similar services in the future.
