US Offers Millions for Tips on Garantex Executives
The US government is putting serious money on the table for information about the people behind Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange with a messy past. We’re talking up to $6 million in rewards—split between $5 million for one of its co-owners and another $1 million for other leaders.
It’s not exactly a surprise. Garantex has been on regulators’ radar for years, accused of handling billions in shady transactions. Cybercrime, money laundering, even terrorism financing—you name it, and this exchange might’ve had a hand in it. Now, after a rebrand and some creative evasion tactics, authorities are tightening the net.
Why the Big Reward?
According to the State Department, Garantex wasn’t just a minor player. Between 2019 and early 2025, it processed around $96 billion in crypto, with chunks of that tied to ransomware, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities. Some of that money allegedly ended up harming US citizens, which probably explains why the feds aren’t messing around.
Two names stand out: Aleksandr Mira Serda, the exchange’s co-owner and chief compliance officer (ironic, given the accusations), and other unnamed executives. The reward money hinges on arrests or convictions—so if someone out there knows where these people are, they could cash in.
But here’s the thing—Garantex isn’t even operating under that name anymore. After sanctions hit, it rebranded as Grinex. That didn’t stop Tether from freezing related wallets earlier this year, or German and Finnish authorities from seizing domains and freezing $26 million in assets.
A History of Dodging Consequences
Garantex started in Estonia but mostly ran out of Russia. By 2022, it lost its license after Estonia’s financial watchdog found glaring gaps in its anti-money laundering controls. Instead of shutting down, though, the exchange allegedly tweaked its setup to make tracing transactions harder.
One case that stands out involves Ekaterina Zhdanova, a suspected money launderer who reportedly moved over $2 million in Bitcoin through Garantex before converting it to USDT. She’s now wanted under a 2023 executive order.
Then there’s Aleksej Besciokov, another executive indicted by the DOJ. He was arrested in India earlier this year, but Serda? Still missing.
It’s a messy situation, and the rewards suggest the US isn’t letting up. Whether it leads to arrests, though—well, that might depend on who’s willing to talk.
