Vietnam launches investigation into local man wanted by FBI

VOV.VN - Vietnamese authorities are in the process of verifying and investigating the case of Minh Quoc Nguyen, a Vietnamese national wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a US$3 billion money laundering scheme.

Discussing the case during a regular press briefing held on March 23 in Hanoi, Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the nation is a responsible state actor in the fight, prevention, and control of hi-tech and transnational crimes.

Hang noted that any actions which make use of cyberspace to infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of agencies and personal organisations will be investigated and handled in accordance with the law.

This comes after the FBI under the United States Department of Justice confirmed that it is in the process of hunting for Minh Quoc Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, for his alleged involvement in the laundering of US$3 billion worth of Bitcoin.

According to the FBI wanted notice, Minh Quoc Nguyen is wanted for alleged money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and committing identity theft through the darknet cryptocurrency mixing service, ChipMixer.

According to court documents, ChipMixer was one of the most-widely used platforms used to launder criminally-derived funds.

It allows customers to deposit bitcoin, which ChipMixer then mixed with other users’ coins, thereby moving the funds in such a way that it made it difficult for law enforcement or regulators to trace.

ChipMixer is allegedly responsible for laundering over US$3 billion in cryptocurrency.

As a result, Nguyen is wanted as part of the takedown of this service. According to the FBI, Nguyen was born on October 21, 1973, in the central province of Quang Binh, with data suggesting that from September, 2016, to March, 2022, he was in the Hanoi area. He uses many aliases, including Minh Nguyen Quoc, Quoc-Minh Nguyen, James Smith, and David Minh, among others.

Nguyen is charged with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and identity theft.

“Nguyen has basic training in cryptographic engineering and previously worked in decrypting communications and cyber reconnaissance. In 2016, Nguyen earned a PhD in electronic engineering in Taiwan,” the FBI wrote on its website.

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