Iranian officials reportedly sabotaged$ 21 million in cryptocurrency while conducting an investigation into corruption.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) is accused of allegedly espionage one of Iran’s most audacious crypto thefts, embezzling more than$ 21 million in funds while looking into the disbanded crypto exchange Cryptoland and its CEO, Sina Estavi.

The officers, who are members of the IRGC’s intelligence and financial crimes system, allegedly moved currencies from the bank’s seized assets into pockets they controlled before selling them for personal gain under the pretense of a corruption investigation.

Mehdi Hajipour and Mehdi Badi, two senior characters in the IRGC’s financial intelligence tree, are identified as the ringleaders in court documents that has reviewed. &nbsp,

Blockchain proof in the report revealed that Hajipour-controlled cards on their own processed more than$ 21 million worth of BRG, the platform’s local sign, in blockchain evidence. &nbsp,

His total goods were valued at$ 40, 000 before the program. His wealth increased to more than$ 4.2 million ( 600 billion rials ), which he allegedly used to buy gold, luxury real estate, and high-end vehicles four months later.

Hajipour was detained in a sting operation in March 2022 after accepting a$ 10,000 reward from Estavi, who he claimed was repurchasing stolen currencies from a third party. &nbsp,

Hajipour had fabricated the personality. He was afterward imprisoned at a service that only IRGC executives could access, and his appeal was denied in September 2022.

According to the report, Hajipour and Badi didn’t work alone.

At least two more IRGC interrogators, Majid Tabatabaei and Majid Jahan Parto, as well as four others who, according to officials, reportedly forged documents to support the transactions were part of the plan. &nbsp,

Dr. Who?

According to the report, Badi, who operated under the pseudonym” Dr. Ebadi,” is also the grandson of a previous senior IRGC standard, raising questions about administrative cover-up and violence.

Sina Estavi, the CEO of Cryptoland, was detained in Iran in May 2021 after being accused of embezzling$ 20 million.

Estavi was charged with “disrupting the monetary system” after being accused of buying Block CEO and co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey’s first post as an NFT for$ 2.9 million.

Over 51, 000 Iran complained about Cryptoland after his arrest.

Estavi received a 15-year prison sentence in 2023, 75 lashes, fines, and a lifetime restrictions from the public assistance. &nbsp,

However, despite a journey ban, he managed to flee the state. Iran’s court confirmed that he had escaped “in infraction of constitutional restrictions” after a video surfaced showing him in France.

Although Estavi paid$ 14 million to 24, 000 people, over 25, 000 owners still receive no compensation. &nbsp,

The incident is a part of a wider net of connected crime involving Egyptian citizens. &nbsp,

Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian-based operator of the Nemesis darknet marketplace, was given a sanction by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control ( OFAC ) earlier this month for directing the sale of nearly$ 30 million in narcotics. &nbsp,

Parsarad reportedly owned the project’s crypto wallets, allegedly influenced each transaction, and continues to look for ways to revive the system.

edited by Sebastian Sinclair