Centralized Exchanges Are Still Criminals’ Favorite Crypto Money Laundering Tool
This summer, Roman Storm, the co-founder of infamous crypto mixer Tornado Cash, was convicted in New York federal court of conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
Prosecutors celebrated Storm’s conviction as a major victory in the fight against crypto money laundering, but the reality is more complicated.
For years, regulators have treated mixers like Tornado Cash as the ultimate money laundering threat. Anonymous, opaque, and seemingly tailor-made for criminals, it’s easy to believe these tools are driving the majority of crypto money laundering. But the numbers tell a different story.
The most popular crypto money laundering engines aren’t cash mixers, they’re centralized exchanges: big, brand-name…
