(Bloomberg) -- The founder of a cryptocurrency mixing service known as Bitcoin Fog was ordered to serve 12 1/2 years in prison for laundering tens of millions of dollars from darknet markets that sold illegal drugs.

Most Read from Bloomberg

• The Leaf Blowers Will Not Go Quietly

• Key Ballot Initiatives and Local Races Highlight Views on Abortion, Immigration

• Paris Restricts Through Traffic in City Center

• From Housing to Immigration, Key Ballot Initiatives and Local Races to Follow

Roman Sterlingov, 36, was sentenced to 150 months Friday in Washington federal court by US District Judge Randolph Moss. Sterlingov, a Russian-Swiss national, was convicted by a jury in March on charges tied to operating what prosecutors said was one of the “largest and longest-running money laundering services.”

Sterlingov provided a service that jumbled digital tokens to make it more difficult to find the source of proceeds from illegal activities. Prosecutors said Bitcoin Fog processed hundreds of millions of dollars in untraceable transactions, including some from known darknet markets. Sterlingov was convicted of conspiring to launder money, money laundering, and two charges related to running an unregistered money transmitting service.

Prosecutors had argued for a 30-year sentence, saying in an August court filing that Sterlingov’s “criminal conduct is extraordinary in its magnitude and gravity of harm.” The government also said he lied under oath during the trial when he denied operating Bitcoin Fog or deriving wealth from the mixing service. The defendant’s statements can’t “be reconciled with the jury’s verdict,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.

At trial, Sterlingov testified that he used Bitcoin Fog, but didn’t operate the service. His attorney, Tor Ekeland, said there were no eyewitness accounts or service logs that prove his client ran the service. Sterlingov’s defense lawyers told the judge he shouldn’t get more than seven and a half years in prison.

The case is US v. Sterlingov, 21-cr-00399, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington, DC).

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

• What Looked Like a Toss-Up Turned Into a Red Wave. Did Pollsters Get It Wrong?

• Trump Set to Move Courts Further Right, Deepening Judicial Clout

• What Trump Can Do to Workers’ Biden-Era Gains

• Why the Washington Commanders Are the Most Exciting Team in the NFL

• The Crypto World’s Victory Lap Begins

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.