The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the United States Department of Justice is hunting for Minh Quoc Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, for his alleged involvement in the laundering of US$3 billion worth of Bitcoin.

Minh Quoc Nguyen is wanted for his alleged direct involvement in stealing identities and engaging in money laundering activity in furtherance of obfuscating and facilitating the functionality of the ChipMixer service, the FBI said on its website.

Through the conduct, he allegedly facilitated the laundering of $3 billion worth of Bitcoin.

The U.S. Department of Justice also confirmed the charges against Minh Quoc Nguyen, accusing him of flouting financial regulations.

He used to tell users of a Bitcoin forum, “Money laundering is a crime made-up by governments that spy on their citizens."

According to the FBI, Minh Quoc Nguyen was born in 1973 in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam.

He used many aliases, including Minh Nguyen Quoc, Quoc-Minh Nguyen, James Smith, and David Minh, among others.

Minh Quoc Nguyen was charged with money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and identity theft.

On its website, the FBI wrote that “Nguyen has basic training in cryptographic engineering and previously worked in decrypting communications and cyber reconnaissance. In 2016, Nguyen earned a PhD in electronic engineering in Taiwan.”

The case has made headlines in the media in Vietnam.

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) on Wednesday said that international authorities had cracked down on the cryptocurrency platform ChipMixer and seized more than 40 million euros ($42.2 million) worth of cryptocurrency.

The site was said to have laundered more than $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency.

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