Listings website Backpage.com was seized on Friday by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in part on charges that it laundered half a billion dollars in illegal revenue, some via cryptocurrencies, a DOJ press release announced Monday, April 9.
The 93-count federal indictment, obtained through joint action by the FBI, IRS and others, alleges that Backpage earned “over $500 mln in prostitution-related revenue since its inception.” IRS Criminal Investigation Chief John D. Fort dubbed the defendants “masterminds,” who committed “egregious financial crimes such as money laundering […] at the expense of women and children,” using “virtual currencies… and the anonymity of the Internet” to cover their tracks.