NEW YORK ¨C A Florida software engineer was sentenced to 16 months in prison for helping run an illegal Bitcoin exchange suspected of laundering money for a group of hackers who targeted financial and publishing firms including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Dow Jones & Co.
Yuri Lebedev, 39, helped operate , which tricked banks into processing bitcoin transactions by disguising them as restaurant-delivery charges and online purchases of collectible items. He was convicted in March of conspiracy and fraud following a month-long trial in Manhattan.
Lebedev, wearing a black suit, stood before sentencing to tell the judge he regretted his actions. He said he joined to create ¡°cutting edge technology¡± and build something ¡°that would make me exceptional.¡±
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