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Super Testnet 8 months ago
In the cited document, look at pages 24-25, the section "LIN’s Crypto Account-1 Received Marketplace-1 proceeds." In those proceedings, they show -- through a trace -- that Lin converted criminal proceeds into monero and then withdrew them to a monero wallet and then sent them to a KYC'd exchange to sell them. They document 4 traces in subparagraphs i, ii, iii, and iv where he did this and they outline the technique they used to perform the trace. Then, in subparagraph vi, they state that they got Lin's identity because the exchange where they traced the money to had his KYC data, namely, his mobile number, his email, and his driver's license. That is a trace where the identification and arrest of the target happened after, and due to, tracing monero.

Replies (2)

If that's the case then it still has nothing to do with the feds tracing Monero, but instead is about using KYC exchanges i.e bad OPSEC. Even the most anonymous cryptocurrency will not protect you if you KYC yourself.
this is exactly right. they were already watching his account in the CEX and saw the monero arrive there. the moral is "don't think that sending your surveiled Bitcoin through a swap to your exchange account makes them clean"