Can a Crypto Founder Be Punished Twice for the Same Crime? The Anatoly Legkodymov Extradition Case

Anatoly Legkodymov, founder of peer-to-peer exchange Bitzlato, spent 18 months in pretrial detention before pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmission business. A federal judge ruled his time served was sufficient. Now France seeks extradition on identical charges carrying 20 years, despite immunity assurances given during his cooperation. The case raises questions about double punishment, broken immunity agreements, and whether crypto founders face selective enforcement compared to traditional banks that committed larger violations.