A Russian investigator was sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting a 1,032 BTC bribe from a hacker

Russia has sentenced a former chief investigator, Marat Tambiyev, to 16 years in prison after he was found to have accepted a bribe of 1,032 BTC, now worth $65 million, from a group of hackers. Last year, Tambiyev was accused of accepting BTC bribes from people associated with the hacker group "Infraud Organization" being investigated by the Russian Investigative Committee. As part of the agreement, Tambiyev agreed not to confiscate the Bitcoin illegally obtained by the organization. He subsequently received half of the illicit assets on April 7, 2022. In 2023, Russian authorities discovered the BTC on a Mac computer under a file called "Pension." Authorities reasoned that the money was unjustified given that his work only earned him 11.7 million rubles ($144,000). Tambiyev reportedly denies the allegations and claims he was framed. He intends to appeal the verdict along with his colleague Kristina Lyakhovenko, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for the same charges in the same case. (Protos)