defendant, had incorporated LIBERTY RESERVE. Working at first principally with YASSINE and VLADIMIR KATS, a/k/a "Ragnar," the defendant, BUDOVSKY devoted himself to building and expanding LIBERTY RESERVE so that the company could profit from attracting more and more criminal customers, all while seeking to evade the scrutiny and reach of U.S. law enforcement authorities.
13. LIBERTY RESERVE thereupon grew exponentially, filling the void left by E-Go1d and becoming the predominant digital form of money laundering used by cyber-criminals worldwide. By in or about 2011, BUDOVSKY was so committed to evading U.S. law enforcement that he formally renounced his U.S. citizenship and became a Costa Rican citizen, telling U.S. immigration authorities that he was concerned that the "software" his "company" was developing "might open him up to liability in the U.S."
THE CRIMINAL DESIGN OF LIBERTY RESERVE
14. To use LIBERTY RESERVE’s digital currency, commonly referred to as "LR," a user first was required to open an account through the LIBERTY RESERVE website. In registering the user was required to provide basic identifying information, such as name, address, and date of birth. However, unlike traditional banks or legitimate online payment processors LIBERTY RESERVE did not require users to validate their identity information, such as by providing official identification
