The Department of Justice charged Maximiliano Pilipis, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange AurumXchange, with money laundering on Oct. 28, 2024. The exchange is said to have processed more than 100,000 transactions totaling more than $30 million during its operations, partly funded by the dark web marketplace Silk Road. The investigation revealed that Pilipis operated the exchange without a license between 2009 and 2013, charging about 12,000 bitcoins (worth about $1.20 million at the time) as transaction fees. The Justice Department said he violated anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) regulations by not registering with the US Treasury and failing to enforce KYC regulations. In addition, Pilipis is also charged with diverting acquired assets such as bitcoin for money laundering after the exchange closed, and converting cryptocurrency into U.S. dollars to invest in real estate in Indiana. He is also charged with failing to declare income for 2019 and 2020. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.