Helix Founder Sentenced For Laundering $300 Million In Bitcoin

Larry Dean Harmon of Ohio was officially sentenced Friday for running the darknet crypto mixer Helix over allegations that he had processed over $300 million worth of crypto tokens from 2014 to 2017.

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Harmon gets a three-year sentence, in addition to forfeiture of assets up to $400 million, for his role in laundering over $300 million worth of Bitcoin tokens for darknet’s drug markets.

According to US authorities, Harmon used the platform to help launder the drug dealers’ funds, facilitating the transfer of over 350,000 BTCs from 2014 to 2017. He gets a three-year sentence, a relatively light serving time, but faces a forfeiture money judgment worth $311,145,854 and forfeiture of all seized assets amounting to at least $400 million.

A ‘Lighter Sentence’ Over Money Laundering Case

According to court documents, Harmon operated Helix from 2014 to 2017 and, during this time, laundered up to $300 million worth of Bitcoins on behalf of drug dealers. After hearing the case and with Harmon’s guilty plea, US District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced Harmon to three years of jail time.

In addition to prison time, Harmon will serve a three-year supervised release, pay the court up to $311 million, and surrender all seized assets, including cryptocurrencies and real estate, amounting to at least $400 million.

An Ohio man was sentenced to 3 years in prison and ordered to forfeit over $400M in assets for his operating of Helix, a darknet cryptocurrency “mixer.” @DOJCrimDiv #FollowTheMoney #IRSCIhttps://t.co/4IRC4fDbPf

— IRS Criminal Investigation (@IRS_CI) November 15, 2024

Helix: Harmon’s Role In Laundering Drug Money

Helix was a popular crypto-mixing service on the darknet and a favorite destination of drug dealers who wanted to launder their money. According to a Department of Justice press release, the mixing site processed 354,468 BTCs, or approximately $311,145,854, during transactions.

Records show that the bulk of these funds are for darknet drug markets, and some are for customers based in the District of Columbia. Harmon collected a percentage of these transactions as fees and commissions for running the service.

Harmon ensured that Helix was linked to Grams, a darknet search engine, and worked with most darknet markets as part of the laundering operations. Harmon used his proprietary API to integrate Helix into the darknet markets’ BTC withdrawal system.

He also customized the API to make it more compatible with other markets. Last August 18th, 2021, Harmon submitted a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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Harmon’s Cooperation Paved The Way For A Lighter Sentence

Initially, Harmon was facing a possible 20-year sentence, even though the prosecutor campaigned for at least 75 months’ worth of prison time. However, the presiding judge only imposed a three-year sentence, crediting Harmon for his help in this case. This resulted in Roman Sterlingov’s sentencing to 12.5 years last November 8th.

Judge Howell acknowledged Harmon’s effort to close the platform two years before the authorities charged him. The court considered this move a sign that Harmon had reformed, even before the case was filed.

Featured image from CRI Group, chart from TradingView