Estonian govt approves extradition of Turogin, Potapenko to US

The Estonian government on Thursday approved the extradition of Estonian businessmen Ivan Turogin and Sergei Potapenko, who are accused of an electronic scam. Photo: Kollaaž

The Estonian government on Thursday approved the extradition of Estonian businessmen Ivan Turogin and Sergei Potapenko, who are accused of an electronic scam and entering into criminal agreements in the United States, to the US.

According to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, this is a government decision that the parties can challenge if they wish.

In late November of last year, the Estonian police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation apprehended the men in Tallinn on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a 575-million-dollar cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

According to court documents, Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of victims through a multi-faceted scheme. They induced victims to enter into fraudulent equipment rental contracts with the defendants' cryptocurrency mining service called HashFlare.