Originally published on: November 15, 2024
Larry Harmon, the operator of the Helix cryptocurrency mixer, has been sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in money laundering activities. Despite facing up to 20 years behind bars, District of Columbia District Court Judge Beryl Howell showed leniency towards Harmon due to his cooperation in the Bitcoin Fog mixer case.
Harmon’s assistance in the case against Bitcoin Fog operator Roman Sterlingov resulted in a reduced sentence. This came as a surprise considering the government recommended a 75-month sentence for Harmon. Additionally, Harmon was fined $60 million by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in 2020.
During his sentencing, Harmon expressed remorse for his actions. The judge acknowledged that he had taken steps to turn his life around before his arrest, shutting down Helix two years prior. As part of his sentence, Harmon was ordered to forfeit approximately $311 million in cash and various assets worth over $400 million.
Harmon’s involvement in moving over 350,000 Bitcoin through Helix was described as “staggering” by prosecutor Alden Pelker. Despite initially arguing that Bitcoin was not money, Harmon pleaded guilty in August the following year. He operated the darknet Helix crypto mixer from 2014 to 2017, laundering a substantial amount of BTC during that time.
Following his arrest, Harmon’s hard wallets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation office. His younger brother, Gary Harmon, later transferred 712 BTC from those wallets using Larry Harmon’s passwords. Gary Harmon was arrested in July 2021 and sentenced to four years in prison for wire fraud and obstruction of justice, also being ordered to surrender $20 million in cryptocurrency.
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